Starlight, Starbright
by Monsterlord-18
Summary: the sequel to Friends from Unexpected Places. Starlight, the Daughter of Twilight Sparkle. the first Alicorn born outside of Royalty. Has dominion over Time. and she doesn't know who her real father is. now, after 17 years of wondering, Starlight has found a clue as to who her father really is and finds that he lives far to the arctic north. together with her friends, she heads out
1. A Quick Synopsis

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Prologue

A Quick Summery

Luna's moon shone down on a sleeping Ponyville where everyone was fast asleep. Well, all except for one filly and her cousins who are over for a sleep-over.

"Come on, Mommy. Just one more story. Please!?" the filly whined.  
Her mother lightly chuckled. She always was persistent. "okay. Okay. One more story. And this story, I think you'll enjoy."  
"why?"  
"cause this truthful story happened before you were born."  
"oh, I think I know this story." the only colt there said.  
The 3 fillies groaned at his comment.  
The mother just chuckled. Just like his parents. She cleared her throat, getting their attention. "this story began 4 years ago, before either of you 4 were born…"

Begin Song: watch?v=fJv3SMBzS2g Hoshiyomi by Akiko Shikata

"long ago, on a night just like this, we were living pleasant lives but that changed when visitors from another world came to Equestria. They called themselves humans. Now, since you all heard this before, can you tell me their names?"

"I can." a hyper-active filly said. "there was… Bahamut, the Dragon. Fenrir, the Wolf. Cobalt, the Eagle. Satoshi Tanaka, the Pilot. Aura Aesir, the Sol-powered Lancer. 'Ash'lin Geroma Arapaho Silverton, the Gunslinger. Sora Yggdrasill, the Archer. Jacqueline 'Jax' Yggdrasill, the Mage. And Requiem Hikaru, the Goddess. They came here on a flying ship called the Orion, right?"

"Correct." the mother said. "they came to obtain supplies without us knowing."  
"how?"  
"I think they were going to gather fruit and water in a un-populated spot. They never really told us.

"anyways, it would've gone smoothly if not for one detail even we didn't know about; a giant dragon who we later named Oscurita. He severely damaged their ship and quickly fled, leaving behind monsters known as Shadow Beings behind. They rampaged on the town but the humans were quickly able to dispatch them. Not wanting them to freeze to death with fall approaching, we took them into our homes. And they were nice and pleasant to be around. Well; most of them. Jax wasn't exactly… keen on living with us. She had a traumatic experience with Equines when she was your age and, instead of being scarred, she turned it into anger."

"why?"

"just… something about her, I think. She wasn't exactly stable to begin with.  
"anyways, the time came for the Summer Sun Celebration and Princess Celestia had chosen Ponyville yet again to do so. Req was kind enough to sing a few beautiful songs for us. Jax, however, had to go find Dinky Doo because she ran away when a few bullies tortured her. She and your aunts Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo went to go find her and they did in a cave- along with a nest of Changelings. They were able to escape the cave but the Changelings followed them. Jax was able to defeat them at the schoolhouse, making everyone believe they're all dead. Which wasn't the case as they were, instead, scattered across the country. Fluttershy found a injured Changeling with Bahamut and the fillies I mentioned before and took it to her house to heal in secret."

"that's Uncle Edge, right?"

"yes. That Changeling was Mirror's Edge but, at the time, he and Fluttershy were merely acquaintances. It wasn't the only upset Ponyville had; a number of new ponies arrived that would later become your uncles- Storm Shadow, Zilver's Light, Halo's Light, and Marble Cake. Me and your other aunts tried hard to get them to fall in love with us but it was tough. And it got even worse when Halo's and Zilver's sister Trixie came to town. At that time, she was COMPLETELY infatuated with me, trying hard to gain my hoof and my heart but I wasn't a Filly-Fooler. And I wasn't exactly happy she came back. I thought she came back to take Halo away. Anyway, it was after she lost her wagon when I heard the whole thing; that she was orphaned as a filly and taken in by Halo's highly dysfunctional family and that Halo and Zil were her only pillars."

"you didn't tell us that part, auntie." the colt said.

"I didn't? huh. Well, after that, me and Trixie began to get along but I just wanted to be friends. She wanted a girlfriend and she figured that since I wanted Halo, she should turn herself into a stallion. So she came to the library to find a transformation spell but she didn't read it fully. Plus, it back-fired. Instead, it turned everyone in the country into humans."

"that part always makes me shiver."

"anyway, I was able to find a reversal spell, but it was located deep within the Gryphon Kingdom, at a fortress once used by Nightmare Moon. So me, your aunts- minus Pinkie and Trixie, and your uncles- minus Marble, and the humans went to the Gryphon Kingdom to get help from the king Zaltan and my BBBFF Shining Armor and his wife and my pregnant sister-in-law Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, AKA. They were unaffected as Trixie's spell only affected the country, not the whole planet. Dash also noted that she was born there which means we didn't need a guide.

"When we arrived, we ran into a old friends of Dash's; Aunt Gilda. Both she and Dash were sore by the way they left things the last time they met but they had to push it aside for now, and quickly too as we found out the spell Trixie cast had a time limit. In a month, we'd all be dead and it was almost 11 hours to the day. Plus, Derpy began to feel the effects of it and we had to move.

"Along the way, we ran into a few obstacles, such as the Red Death; a giant dragon from another world that the humans had visited, and a giant condor. They were quickly dispatched and we arrived at Nightmare Moons fortress. We split up to find it. While we looked in the library and found it, Ash, Gilda, and her then boy-toy Jason found a secret lab in the castles basement and discovered that any spell used in the castle's walls, be it a light spell or the reversal spell we were about to use, Nightmare Moon would be revived, without Luna for a body. We learned it too late as we cast the reversal spell and turned all the ponies back into ponies. And, true to the warning, we revived Nightmare Moon. she put up a tough fight, even possessing Requiem for a time."  
"how did you save her?"  
"a experimental spell Jax was working on. She called it Personality Shift. It can work either one of two ways; split someone into good and evil halves or exorcise the possessor out of the Possessee. In Requiem's case, it exorcised Nightmare Moon out of her. But Nightmare was able to extract some information from Requiem's mind, including a demon form of her deceased brother Catalyst. She transformed into that and almost killed us but, with the timely arrival of a apologetic Trixie, Pinkie, and Marble, we were able to defeat Nightmare Moon for good.

"The night after, we had a celebration and me and Halo had one too many drinks and we ended up… having a great night that ended with me getting pregnant with Starlight. yes, me and Halo were a bit shocked and nervous but we were able to overcome it and see it as a great thing. Derpy went though the same thing with Dinky and she turned out happy. And we had to with Hearts and Hooves day approaching.

"that Hearts and Hooves day was certainly the most eventful one for us. Derpy and her sister Daring Do went to Appaloosa to obtain a mysterious staff for a museum in Canterlot. Pinkie invited Diamond, Marble's sister, to Ponyville to help break him out of a rut and turn them into the most hyper couple Ponyville had ever seen. Rarity and Spike, who had just turned into a teenager; complete with looks, entered a relationship. Applejack and Zilver, after a pregnancy scare, decided to take things slow and steady. Edge, who had been fully healed by now and took on a 'ponysona', as Satoshi called it, helped Fluttershy rekindled things with her parents. Aunts Lyra and Bonbon decided to become parents, with Lyra carrying their foal. Trixie found love with a beautiful Unicorn named Lily, who turned out to be Aunt Luna in disguise. And me and Halo, along with a few filly and colt stow-aways, led a expedition into the Everfree Forest, where we found a ancient town from way back when, complete with a mural dedicated to one gigantic and foreboding dragon. We couldn't study it further as we had to flee thanks to Timberwolves."  
"what about Rainbow Dash and Shadow?"

"they… were complicated. At that point, Dash had been going out with Soarin' from the Wonderbolts, not knowing that Shadow was in love with her. She also hid feelings she had for him, not wanting to send Soarin' into a uproar. Turned out to be for naught as as she was being interviewed by Spitfire to enter the Wonderbolts, they found out they had the same father, Golden Day. Eager to tell Shadow, she rushed home to find that he had moved away, not wanting to make her have a choice. She also learned the same day that her mother had died from a disease and she believes her chances to enter the Wonderbolts are shot. Distrat, Dash tried to kill herself by throwing herself off a cliff."

"What!? We never heard this part of the story before."  
"oh. Sorry. Forgot that your mom would kill me if she heard me say it. Well, too late now.

"but yeah, Dash tried to off herself but Aunt Scootaloo was able to save her. And not long after, they came across a curious discovery; a baby Draconequus who called herself Eris. Even though she didn't kindly warm up to the baby at first, Dash grew to love the little tyke; eventually calling Eris her daughter. Celestia wasn't keen on having a Draconequus wandering about and tried to kill her but Dash intervened. Celestia, instead, placed Eris under her care. And also, before Celestia tried to off her, Eris accidentally used her powers to summon some more humans to our world.

"They were Fox, a anthropomorphic fighter pilot fox from a solar system called Lylat. Lloyd Irving and Emil Castagnier, master swordsmen from a world named Symphonia. Riku, a Keyblade Wielder from… well, they never said where he was from. Hiccup and Toothless, a dragon and his rider from the world Berk. Spyro and Cynder, a dragon couple from the world of Warfang, and Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, Zelgadis Greywords, and Amelia Tesla Del Seyruun from a world Req and her friends had dubbed L-Sama.

"around the time winter had started, Edge starting feeling… odd towards Fluttershy, with signs that lead to us believing he was in love. Fluttershy didn't feel that way to him, when she first met him, but thought of him more and more with each passing second. Things especially didn't go well when the time for Trixie's and Luna's wedding came. Edge told Fluttershy his true feelings for her but was shot down by her saying that a pony and a changeling relationship would not work, giving the stereotypes that changelings were demons.

"heartbroken, he was approached by the Changeling Queen Chrysalis and her subordinates Leon and Friction. She was able to make Edge come back to the side of the Changelings and launched a second invasion of Canterlot, with the giant dragon Oscurita aiding her. With the help of his Shadow Beings and a spell powered by a crystal, and even with the powerful humans on our side, they took the city and took a good chunk of the population hostage, Jax and Dinky included.

"we evacuated to Ponyville. On the way there, the train carrying us was attacked by a knight in black. He quickly overpowered everyone and took me and… did something. I don't know; he knocked me out. What I do know is that Req and Halo came to my aid, but too late because what he did to me already took hold. The knight, in Lloyd's terms, kicked Requiem's ass and disappeared.

"at the same time, Chrysalis, using a process called Purging, turned Edge back into what he was before he met all of us; a sadistic general in the changeling army. He launched a attack on Ponyville and took more prisoners, including Cadence, Aura, and Lina. We fled to Maredrid after that.

"during their imprisonment, Jax felt sorry for the ponies plight and began to warm up to them. At the same time, Dinky began to warm up to Oscurita, showing that he wasn't as evil as he was being made out to be.

"when we arrived in Maredrid, Dash, though a run-away Eris, reunited with Shadow, who wasn't happy to see her because of the whole fiasco with Soarin'. though some expositions from Soarin' and his adopted sister Scootaloo, they were able to convince Shadow to give Dash another chance and the two had their first kiss. Fluttershy also came to terms with her feelings for Edge and accepts that she loves him. That same day, the Changelings launched an attack on Maredrid and only took one prisoner, a colt named Pipsqueak. During the battle, nobody knew how, but a monster form a movie, Godzilla, was summoned and destroyed Maredrid, effectively wiping it from the map.

"we then fled to Feather Top, the Gryphon Kingdom capital, and pleaded that Zaltan and his Gryphons. He agreed and both countries forged a alliance. And in good time cause not long after, the Changelings attacked again, but we were able to drive them back by destroying their giant lizard weapon.

"at the same time, Chrysalis slowly descended into madness and brutally beat up Dinky when she found out that the filly was associating with Oscurita. At that point, Jax's earlier pre-conceptions about all equines melted away and willingly began to help us by coming up with a escape plan.

"disgusted by what their queen had done, Leon and Friction made plans with both the prisoners and the forces in Feather Top to help defeat Chrysalis. They accepted it and put it into motion by launching a massive air attack on Canterlot using airships built from blueprints Satoshi took from the Orion before we abandoned Ponyville. They were quickly built and we all launched our counter-attack.

"during all this time, Edge had been having odd dreams about a pony he had never met before, his Ponysona, interacting with that yellow mare he met a few times. After finding and touching the crystal used in his purging, Edge got all his old memories and put his own plan into action that would, in fact, help us.

"we first hit Ponyville, freeing Aura and Lina who had been imprisoned there and, lead by a rebuilt Orion, we cleared the skies and took it over. The prisoners launched their escape and destroyed the crystal casting the shield over Canterlot.

"Edge attacked Chrysalis personally but was later joined by Jax. After nearly destroying every part of the castle, she was able to cast Personality Shift and split Chrysalis into good and evil halves. True to their names, Good Chrysalis was kind and sympathetic while Evil Chrysalis was sadistic and heartless. Fluttershy and Edge made nice and were about to start something when Dark Chrysalis attacked and seemingly killed Edge. Angered and saddened by his death, we gave Dark Chrysalis quite a fight. It wasn't easy, but we were able to defeat her.

"The Winter War left a lot of causalities on both sides, including Dash's brother Soarin'. Fluttershy left to mourn by herself in the surprisingly untouched Canterlot Gardens, only to be reunited by a very much alive Edge. He says that he survived thanks to that same knight from the train. After a entire war, Fluttershy and Edge kissed and began possibly the most romantic relationship we ever saw.

"just a couple days after the end of the war, Cadence gave birth to a bouncing baby colt she and Armor decided to call Glade Yggdrasill, after the mage who had helped her while she was taken prisoner. At the same time, Dash, who had just found out she had a incurable decease slowly killing her, was working hard to try and adopt Scootaloo, who had been orphaned with Soarin's death, and went the only social worker available, Manni Peddi. At first, she said she was going to help but then… something unexpected happened. She tried to abduct Scootaloo AND Eris. The chaos from that, coupled with what just happened a few days before, resulted in the release of Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.

"Eager to get revenge on Celestia for what she did to him, he took Eris hostage and disappeared. Celestia sensed that he flew to the Badlands so that's where we headed, stopping off in Manehatten to get a guild who knows the Badlands well. We had a hitchhiker, Manni, who was intent on proving that Dash was a irresponsible mother and take Scootaloo away from her.

"Along the way, Discord had rifled though the humans media center and got a number of monsters to delay us. He also corrupted Eris and sent her after us.

"When we arrived, some of us had some personal things to deal with; Dash came to ask the local agency to adopt Scootaloo into her family. Applejack took the foals to see Applebloom's cousin Babs Seed. Marble and Pinkie went to see his sister Diamond, who was engaged to Marble's arch-enemy and carrying his baby. Rarity and Spike, who at that point got engaged and were expecting a foal, went shopping for wedding and baby supplies, only to find a old 'acquaintance' of Spike's and our guide into the Badlands, Garble. And Trixie found and bought a magical trinket called a Alicorn Amulet."

"that's what mommy gave me!" one of the fillies said.

"yep. Dash had some bad luck with the adoption agency as Manni replaced a letter Celestia had written, explaining the situation to them, with one saying that Dash was going to burn the place down. Not letting that get her down, Dash went to the mayor of Manehatten, who turned out to be her estranged father Golden Day.

"not long after, a mysterious girl attacked the same pawn shop Trixie was just at and stole a sword. After a rough fight throughout downtown Manehatten, the girl disappeared. Not long after that, a massive robot summoned by Discord began to rampage though the city. We quickly got onto the Orion, not knowing we had left Pinkie and Marble behind, along with the colts and fillies we had left at Babs' place, destroyed the robot, and flew into the Badlands.

"there, we found Discord and Eris. He revealed that he's doing this for revenge for what Celestia and the Alicorns did to his kind, the Draconequus. He also got a new Scion of Chaos, Babs Seed, but it turns out she was a spy the knight had placed in his ranks. He summoned another giant robot, a much larger and indestructible one called a Reaper, and sent it to Manehatten. After a intense air-battle, on which I threw up more then once, we beat the cuttlefish ship. When it died, it created a black hole that sucked all of us in.

"We woke up to find ourselves in the Afterlife, the realm where all the dead souls go. We were separate but we then found a town where we all gathered, although Derpy was nowhere to be found. There, we reunited with our dead friends, such as Soarin', Rainbow Dash's mother Shine Dash, and Requiem's human brother Adolf. They explained that we weren't truly dead, our bodies were also sucked in and with that, we had a way to get back home. How was the problem but a crazy old hermit lady told us about a Tome, a magical item that houses all the knowledge in the universe, that lies in a palace far to the east. With our destination, we set out for the palace.

"meanwhile, back in the real world, everyone believed that we were truly dead, which sent Scootaloo into a depressing. After trying to get comforted by Babs, Eris appeared and took them both to a volcanic isle to kill them, Babs for spying on them and Scootaloo just for being Scootaloo. But she couldn't do it. By all accounts, Scootaloo was her sister, which sent her mind racing. That, in turn, sent her powers spiraling out of control, destroying the island underneath them in a large nuclear-like explosion.

"we arrived at the palace, which was MUCH larger then the lady made it out to be, and we began our long climb. Fortunately, since this was the Afterworld, we didn't get tired as often. Although, illness still happen and Dash got hit by her illness more then once. During our ascent, we finally found Derpy in front of a door, crying about someone named eTu`nes. When we opened the door, we were subjected to our worse fears. Dash already experienced hers in real life so she didn't live it. Instead, she witnessed Manni's, which involved the death of her sister, who was the mother of Scootaloo. Realizing that Manni was Scootaloo's aunt, the two made peace and became friends, decided that Scootaloo should choose who to be with.  
"after that fear-inducing ordeal, we continued our climb and came across someone Requiem didn't expect to see; her demon brother Catalyst. He wants revenge for his defeat at her hands and attacked all of us, leaving anyone pregnant out of his warpath. Not sure why, though. And he was as every bit as ruthless as Requiem made him to be."

"how did you beat him?"  
"luck and…" she stopped there. She remembered back to the fight and the indescribable Req did to him.  
"and what?" her daughter asked.

"just luck." she couldn't tell them what she saw. They'd be scared for life. "anyways, after Catalyst's defeat, we made out way to the Tome and prepared to ask how to get back home but Jax instead asked it to show Celestia's and Discord's complete history.

"turns out it was quite a tragic one. They were once childhood friends who grew up together but a misplaced kiss by Celestia made Discord, who at the time was called Dis, believe she was in love with him when, in truth, she was in love with a Alicorn named Cosmos. It also didn't help that she didn't even bother to try and talk to him about it for 5 years. Things got worse when war broke out between and the Draconequus. It reached a breaking point when Celestia FINALLY told Dis that she was in love with Cosmos and, unfortunately, was pregnant. Dis left without saying a word and returned home to see it under siege and his parents murdered by Cosmos. His home was destroyed by the Alicorns Biological Experiment, who we know today as Oscurita. Enraged, Dis decided to exact revenge. He used his powers of Chaos to send Oscurita to our time and, 2 years later, kidnap Celestia's daughter Erys and take Cosmos prisoner in a black pearl hidden inside his body. She and Luna did battle with him for 900 years, which ended with him encased in stone. Discord left behind a parting gift; a virus that eventually turned Luna into Nightmare Moon. Not wanting to die without having found Cosmos and Erys, Starswirl the Bearded cast a spell on both Luna and Celestia, turning them immortal.

"Celestia was made at Jax for showing that, mostly because she didn't want to see that again but it did give her clues on to what happened to her daughter and husband. They also found the way back home; a being on high divinity, in this case a Goddess, must give up a portion of herself and powered up a Seeing-Pool, a large pool that can show anything happening anywhere as long as you say the name of the planet, the city, or the person. With help from their dead family members, we were able to make it back to the realm of the living. And just in time too. Discord, who had somehow become darker, was turning all the peoples in the world into ravenous mutants. Luckily, our friends were unaffected. For about 2 seconds. Discord used his powers to turn Pinkie into a mutant herself. We arrived too late to save her but we were able to save everyone else. Not long after we returned, Babs and Scootaloo also came back and told us that Eris was in trouble."

"What was happening to her?"

"her powers were ravaging out of control, basically turning her into a time bomb that was causing her a whole lot of pain. We couldn't get close as pure energy was blocking our way. Dash, who had then suffered from another attack from her illness, fell into the mass of energy along with Scootaloo. They found and tried to talk Eris out of it but couldn't. then, somehow, she was fatally stabbed. Dash didn't want her to die but she couldn't control fate. Eris faded away. Before she was gone completely, she used her powers to cure Dash's incurable illness and right what she did wrong in the world.

"naturally, Rainbow Dash was heart-broken that her daughter her died, but she was also furious at Discord for putting Eris though this. We launched our assault on Discord, who had retreated to his and Celestia's old home; the ruins me and Halo found in the Everfree Forest. We arrived to find a startling revelation; Eris, the Draconequus, was in fact Erys, the Alicorn. He sent them away so we couldn't get at them and did battle. During the battle, Cobalt was able to steal the pearl holding Cosmos away from Discord and we released him. Discord countered by summoning darkness to his aide and attacking us. We won thanks to Jax's Personality Shift, which showed us that Discord was actually possessed, but by what, we don't know. Anyway, that spell reversed what Discord recently did. It turned Pinkie back to normal and restored the world to it's natural state. The older ones, Erys and Oscurita, were still at large.

"since one had to be extinguished for the other to live, Dash and Celestia had to choose between Eris and Erys. Without telling anyone, knowing she deserved it more then her, Dash decided to give Celestia her daughter back and brought the Alicorn back in exchange for the Draconequus. She was sad but Erys thought of Dash as a second mommy and she still had Eris memories so it's not like she was completely gone.

"after that, there was 4 months of nothing. We did nothing but returned to our daily lives. But, things changed on a certain day."

"What day was that, mommy?"

"the day you were born."

"aw."

"yeah. After 11 months of waiting and 7 hours of labor, I finally had my little miracle Starlight. But, then we saw something we didn't expect. She was a Alicorn who was born with a Cutie Mark and had power over time. Nothing like this has ever happened before so, naturally, everyone was nervous. I, however, was just glad to have my daughter. She was just so beautiful. So perfect.

"on the day we brought her home, however, things started to heat back up. Derpy ran away after being yelled at by Jax, who was angry to see her crush Ash kissing her sister Sora and she took her anger out on her. Saddened by what she had done, she went to search for her, with Dinky and Sparkler following her. They found her in a cave far from Ponyville and Jax apologized for what she had done. There, they ran across Oscurita and ran for home, him in hot pursuit, trying to grab Derpy. They got home after a long and arduous chase, which ended with a brief fight that ended with Jax and Derpy getting severely wounded. Jax had cast a forbidden spell during the fight, which resulted in it taking a part of her life and, thanks to a attack from her own incurable illness, exploded harmless in the atmosphere, not before leaving a princess worried.

"During the fight, Derpy was muttering eTu`nes again and Dinky wondered what that was. Fearing this would come, all of Derpy's friends told her the tale they were hoping she'd never hear.

"When she was a filly, Derpy ran away from home and came across a wounded dragon her age named eTu`nes. She cared for him and nursed him back to health. eTu`nes had also run away from home, his parents and neighbors mercilessly beating him within a inch of death. Wanting to get away from their troubles, they ran away to Feather Top, where they met and moved in with the filly Rainbow Dash and her mother. After a year there, eTu`nes decided that he can't deal with his problems but he can help Derpy with hers. Without her knowing, he made his way to Ponyville and found the bullies that forced her to run away, Lyra, Octavia, Colgate, Vinyl, Berry, and Bonbon. After telling them what she had been though, Lyra and Octavia, along with Derpy's parents and sister, came to Feather Top and got her. Derpy brought eTu`nes home with her and had her stay in her house for the next 11 years. At the end of those 11 years, eTu`nes had fallen hopelessly in love with Derpy and tried to tell her during a camping trip he had set up but Derpy, while intoxicated, just kissed him and gave him a… great night. Neither of them knew that that night ended with Derpy getting pregnant with Dinky. The next night, Derpy had no memory of the night and quickly became infatuated with Time Turner's cousin Clockwerk. Angry, eTu`nes tried to leave but Derpy confronted him. He blurted out his feelings and tried to leave again. Ss he did, Derpy tried to stop him. This resulted in her getting struck in the face with his claws. Shocked by what he did, eTu`nes left without saying a word. That was the same day, 8 years later, that Jax yelled at Derpy after discovering her sister and her crush kissing.

"not long after that explanation, Celestia and the other royals appeared to banish the humans for them not telling them about that spell that went off. They were forced to leave just minutes before the dragon returned. Not wanting to listen to Celestia, the humans returned 10 minutes after Oscurita had launched another attack on Ponyville. They arrived to save the town and send the monster into a gully, where they fought it and won by sealing it up.

"turns out that the whole banishment thing was a ruse put into play by Jax and Celestia to catch Oscurita off guard and win against it. At best, they caught it by surprise but they didn't defeat it as it burst out of it's prison. The second round ended with Jax casting her Personality Shift on the monster, turning it into a empty shell and, to everyone's surprise, eTu`nes. Derpy, both sad and happy that eTu`nes is back, hugged her long lost friend while professing her love to him. It was short-lived as the true instigator appeared.

"it turns out that eTu`nes and Oscurita was used by a person who had a CRAZY case of multiple personality disorder and some WEIRD hair to try and take control of the world. He took advantage of eTu`nes heartbreak and misery and returned him back into his true form; the Biological Experiment Oscurita. This wasn't the only time the humans had run into this crazy person. They also ran into him on Berk and had a brief run-in on Symphonia. He used his power over darkness to power up the husk left behind from the Personality Shift. What followed was a massive and epic battle."

"how epic?"  
"cover the whole world in darkness epic."  
"Wow."

"yeah. It was brutal and tiresome. I thought we weren't going to win for a moment. But then, something unexpected happened. The Elements of Harmony came to help us, alone with a previously unknown 7th element; the Element of Love, that had chosen Derpy as it's host. With a powered up Judgment Ray, we were able to beat Oscurita. And then… nothing."

"nothing?"

"Yeah. Somehow, we momentarily blacked out. But it didn't matter. We won and the world was safe. The crazy man and that knight hasn't been seen since. And 3 months later, we celebrated Derpy's and eTu`nes' wedding. They are truly a perfect couple, if you look at it.

And just a couple hours after that, we were forced to say good-by to our human friends. They had to go and try to stop those 2, and that girl who had also disappeared, from causing trouble on other worlds. Dis had found a way to send those summoned by Eris back to their own worlds to the exact point in time they appeared on Equestria. He did so and sent them home. After a hard good-bye, we said out goodbyes and the humans went off to find those people and stop them."  
"What happened next?"  
"for the humans, we don't know. For us, the next 4 years, which you all were a part of."

"did all that really happen?" the colt asked.  
"Well, I may have… tweaked a few things to make it child friendly but that's the true, whole story." she looked up at the clock. "oh, geez. Look at the time. Glade, Woona, Marian. Time to go to bed."  
"Aw, do we have too?" they whined.  
"Yes. Get to your sleeping bags. I'll be in to tuck you in soon."  
The fillies and colt walked downstairs in sadness, leaving the mother to sigh and chuckle.  
"I'll be heading down too, mom." her daughter yawned. "glad that you told us that story. It's always my favorite." she headed down the stairs and yawned again.  
The mom caught the yawning bug and spread her mouth wide as well. It had gotten really late.  
"you coming to bed, Twilight?" her husband asked from the bed.  
"I'll be with you in a couple minutes, Halo." she said. She got up and headed down.

She walked downstairs to see them already asleep. She smiled at the cute sight and pulled their sleeping bags all over their slumbering forms and kissed each of them on the forehead. When she reached her daughter, she lightly brushed her flame-like hair out of her face and emotionally kissed her on the forehead.

"Good night… my precious Starlight…"


	2. A Fateful Day

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 1

A Fateful Day

young Glade Yggdrasill, the Alicorn son of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, snored up a storm. Out of the 4 of them- Glade, Marian and Woona; the daughters of Princess La Luz De La Luna and Trixie Lulamoon, and Starlight Sparkle, the Alicorn daughter of Twilight -he was the loudest and the most obnoxious, which made him a perfect target for a prank.  
Woona and Starlight chuckled evilly as they used their magic to hold a bucket of water over his head. "Hehehe. This is perfect." Woona chuckled. "he pulled this on me last week. Time to return the favor." Starlight rolled her eyes. She just wanted a good laugh.  
They tipped the bucket and they were about to splash it all over him but…  
"Starlight! Woona! What is going on in here?" Twilight exclaimed.  
"Busted!" the 2 fillies said. They dumped the bucket's contents down on Glade, snapping him awake, then bolted to the door.  
Twi, with her eyes closed, used her magic to close the door on them both. They ran into it. "ouch." Woona groaned as she and Starlight slid down to the floor.  
"*sigh* and mommy wonders why I'm the nice one." Marian sighed, standing next to her aunt Twilight.  
Glade spit up water and couched. "What was that for?"  
"payback for last week." Woona said. She looked up to see Twilight standing over her with a stern expression. "oh. Um… hey there, Auntie Twilight. Hehe… Spike coming over?"  
"Apologize to Glade. Right now. You too, Starlight."  
"Me? But it was Woona's idea." she pleaded.  
Twi gave her daughter a stern look. "Starlight…"  
The fillies sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine." they both got up and walked to Glade. "Glade, we're sorry." they both said, Woona holding back a bit.  
"Woona…" Twilight's persistent tone made her wince.  
"um… sorry for the prank, cous. Forgive me?"  
Glade gave his mischievous cousin a suspicious glare. Woona was a prankster though and though, and her being a Alicorn didn't exactly help it. Luckily, he had a prank of his own to play back. "you're forgiven Woona." he offered his hand in friendship and she instantly took it. She should've looked as she was almost immediately electrocuted. She let to and blew at her hoof to see Glade holding up a joy buzzer. "now we're truly even."  
Woona blew fumes and charged at Glade. He turned and ran into another part of the library. Twilight, Marian, and Starlight sighed in defeat. Those 2 are a disaster waiting to happen.

(before you ask, Starlight, Glade, and Woona are the only new Alicorns in this. Starlight's kind and a bit naive, Glade is stern, and Woona's a prankster. No Mary Sue's here. Mostly because I don't know what the hell a Mary Sue is.)

watch?v=pTPqjKk_xCo

The door to the library knocked, then opened. "Yoo-hoo." Rarity poked her head in. "Anypony home?"  
"hey there, Rarity." Twilight said, still in the same pose from 20 seconds earlier. "what brings you here?"  
"I was just coming to see if I can find a book on cloth resilient to dragon scales. Spike keeps ripping though his tux and I'm starting to get tired of repairing it every time."  
"oh. That all?" Twilight used her magic to pull said book off the shelve and to her.  
"Oh, thank you Twilight. Hopefully, there's some way to keep his scales from ripping it."  
"I'm sure there is."  
Screams came from the other room, along with Glade yelling, "Uncle! Uncle!"  
Rarity recognized the voice. "Glade?"  
"Woona's torturing him again. As always." Marian said.  
"oh, Marian. How lovely to see you. What are you doing here this early? Speaking of which, what're Glade and Woona doing here?"  
"they slept over." Starlight explained.  
"oh, that so? Well, why didn't you invite Filigree, or even Cotton or Peppy? They loves sleep overs."  
"it was just close family. Besides, I don't think mom or dad could survive all of them."  
"True." Rarity shivered, remembering when she hosted a sleep-over for all of them. Worst idea ever.  
Starlight looked up at the clock. She hopes mom won't be mad if she leaves. "Mommy, is it okay if I go to Sweet Apple Acres and play with Peppy?"  
Twi looked up at the clock. It's still pretty early but this was the apple family she's talking about. "Okay, Starlight. But don't be annoying if they're hard at work, okay?"  
"Okay. Can my cousins come with me?"  
Twi shook her head 'no'. I'm afraid not. Their mothers are coming over later and they want them here."  
"Okay." Starlight ran past Rarity and out the door.  
Rarity watched her leave and chuckled. "she's quite the cutie, Twilight. But… does she know?"  
"Know what, that she has power over time?"  
"yeah."  
Twilight sighed. "yeah, she does. But she knows that she is never, ever, ever to use it, ever." she sat down on the floor and sighed again. "thank goodness that she has all her friends to keep her occupied."  
"thank goodness they just see her as just a normal pony rather then a Alicorn."  
"yeah. Thank goodness…" Twilight was still worried. They may see her as a normal pony now but as they get older, they may take advantage of her and her power. She just prays that will never happen, because she knows that Starlight will never try to use her powers.

"Come on, Starlight. You can do this."  
The filly relocated herself into a part of the Everfree Forest she always goes to whenever she wants to practice her powers over time. Her mom told her that some knight 4 years ago gave her these powers but was never fully explained why. It probably doesn't matter.  
For the past 4 months, she was trying to reverse time but turning a withered flower back into it's beautiful form. A task tougher then it sounds because every time she seems to get close, it backfires. It doesn't cause any more damage, it just doesn't work. But, she got close last week. If she can just redo what she did…

Begin Song: watch?v=-gCsP9dkkuI Nemesis - Halo 4 OST

0:00.  
Starlight looked at the flower and concentrated. Time to see if it will work. Her horn glowed a light blue, the same color as her fiery mane. The flower also glowed and stuttered in it's spot.  
"Come on. It can't be that hard to use magic…" she grunted. "mom does it as simple as 1, 2, 3."  
She was completely unaware that she was being watched from the cliff above her, a pair of claws tapped on the side of it before retreating into back into the bush it came from.  
Starlight concentrated with all her might. Her pocket-watch Cutie Mark glowed the same color as her horn and mane.  
The flower's glow intensified and, to Starlight's amazement, it's time began to reverse. It turned back from a withered husk to a beautiful rose.  
Starlight stopped her magic and panted heavily. That took a lot out of her.  
Once she gathered her breath, she walked over and looked at her work. "YES! It worked! Yes, yes, yes! WOO-HOO!"

0:40.  
A sudden crack of a branch broke Starlight out of her cheerful trance and replaced it with fear. "h-hello?" nothing but the rustling of bushes replied. "h-hello?" she got very scared. Nobody knows what lies in the Everfree Forest and that makes this even more scary.  
"m-m-mommy? Is that you?"  
Another branch snapped, making her whinny in fear. "W-Woona. If this is you, then this isn't a funny joke. Hehe. Not funny at all."  
deep, foreboding growling came from all sides, sending her into a tailspin. "you can stop joking around guys. Please."  
Yellow eyes came from the trees in front of her, followed by a really nasty smell that made her cough. "*cough* ugh. Guys. Did you forgot to bath? *cough cough*."  
A large claw slowly walked out of the bush nearest to her, along with a loud growl. Starlight lost it and ran. "This isn't funny any more, guys!" she yelled as she ran.  
She ran as fast as she could and looked back to see if whatever's there is pursuing her. There was but it was sticking to the bushes. More joined in with it and followed her.  
"Leave me alone!" she yelled out.  
She didn't watch where she was going and fell down a small hill. She hit her front-right hoof on a rock, bruising it. She rolled into a tree, upside-down. "ow."  
she got up and tried to run but her hoof hurt horribly. "ow. Owowowow." she fell to her knees and rubbed her hoof.  
Once the pain had subsided enough, she got up and walked away with a limp. She bumped into something and fell back. "Ow!" she saw the same claws from the bush and gulped.  
She slowly looked up, growing more fearful with each passing second.

1:43.  
Standing over her was a Timberwolf. A very angry one with a noticeable scar over it's closed right eye. It snarled down at her, baring it's teeth.  
"AHH!" she crawled away from it, only to run into it's pack. The pack of 9 surrounded her and each one snarled at her.  
"AAHHH! DON'T EAT ME!"  
The leader, the one with the scar, walked on over and grabbed her by the mane. She yelled as she was lifted up. The Timberwolf sniffed her. Yep, she had the same scent.  
"Let me go! You don't want to eat me! I taste terrible, like a bad pasta." The leader scoffed and tossed her to the ground. He growled and a couple more Timberwolves grabbed her. "w-what are you going to do to me?" The leader growled at her. "W-what do you want with me?" she fearfully asked.  
The wolves that had grabbed her snarled, shutting her up. The leader turned around with a necklace of some sorts. "what is…?" the Timberwolf placed it on her Cutie Mark.  
Seconds later, she screamed as it tried to absorb her latent powers.

2:20.  
A pony, a rather big male unicorn, watched from above. Without a sound, he jumped down at them.  
He landed on and crushed one of the Timberwolves. He used his magic to blast two more into spare parts.  
The leader turned and got blasted as well. The necklace fell to the ground and Starlight stopped screaming. The wolves holding her got blasted and she fell to the ground.  
She groaned as she got up to her knees. The unicorn walked over to her and helped her up. "Are you all right, little one?"  
"yeah. I think so." she looked up and gasped in fear. The unicorn was black, large, and foreboding. His iris' were a reptilian red with green in it's eyes and purple fire coming out of the edges. He was wearing body armor with a red cape. Whoever he was, he was scary looking.  
The Timberwolves regenerated and roared at him. The leader, when he finished regenerating, snarled then howled at the sky.  
"Run, Starlight!" the Unicorn said as his red horn glowed.  
"But I-"  
"RUN!"  
Starlight didn't argue when he yelled. She ran and got the hell out of there. The unicorn scoffed then turned his attention to the Timberwolves.

Starlight ran as fast as she could with that injured leg of hers. "(Who was that guy? I feel like I know him from somewhere, but where? And how does he know my name?)"  
A large explosion came from behind her, lifting her up and tossing her into the air for a few moments. She crashed though a tree and landed on the ground.

3:04.  
"This isn't my day." she groaned.  
She looked back, worried about the unicorn that saved her. "just… who was he?" she wondered.  
She got up, still looking in that direction. Worried that more Timberwolves may be coming her way, she ran for home as best she can.

The Unicorn and the Timberwolves watched from a cliff as she ran.  
"phase 1... Complete. Just have to wait 13 years for phase 2." he told the Timberwolves. He and the wolves disappeared in a flash of darkness.

3:34. End Song.

Starlight reached the library no more worse for ware. "how am I going to explain this to mom?" she muttered to herself, looking at her bruises. She outcried then hit herself in the head. She remembered she had a story ready to go if her mom ever caught her practicing her time magic. "guess I'm gonna have to add Timberwolves and that unicorn to the mix."  
She reached up to and opened the door. She walked in to a surprisingly dark room. "why's the light off?" she flicked the switch on.  
"SURPRISE!" All her friends and family yelled. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  
"b-birthday?" Starlight said in surprise.  
Twilight nodded. She should know. "you turn 4 today, Sta-" she noticed all of Starlight's bruises and walked over to her. "Starlight, what happened to you? Why are you covered in bruises?"  
"(time to put that story to work.)" she momentarily thought to herself. "um… on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, I saw a butterfly I never saw before and followed it. Guess I lost track of where I was because I found myself in the Everfree Forest. Things to a bad turn when Timberwolves attacked me."  
"Timberwolves?!"  
"Yeah. They nearly got me too when this mystery pony saved me."  
"Mystery Pony?" Applejack asked.  
"yeah. He fought them off so I could escape. I'm not sure what happened to him."  
"oh, Starlight. thank goodness you're okay." Twilight softly said.  
"yeah." Starlight felt bad for lying to her mother. She never did that before and just felt horrible for doing it. "um… if it's okay, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and clean myself up."  
"okay." Starlight walked off to the bathroom.  
"brave girl." Cadence said. "a normal filly her age would've been scarred."  
"I know. she's got my strong will." Twi boasted.

Starlight was shaken to her core. She splashed water into her face and panted. How is she supposed to react to almost getting killed by Timberwolves? And that mystery pony. There was just something about him that felt familiar but she couldn't explain what or why. Who was he? She looked up the mirror, still not sure how to process this.  
She remembered the Timberwolf placing a necklace on her Cutie Mark that caused her pain. She looked back and saw a scorch-mark right in the middle. If someone just glances, it won't be noticeable. But if someone stares long enough… "if mom finds out I lied to her, I'll be in big trouble."  
She grabbed her mother's makeup kit and touched up the mark. "better she doesn't find out. I'm not sure what's going on myself."

Starlight was unaware that the same pony that saved her was watching her. "Strong-willed but weak-spirited. I can work with that." he dissolved into shadows and disappeared.


	3. Friends at Work and Play

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 2

Friends at Work and Play

"…and if we put this hypothesis into place, then maybe we can isolate the isotopes and pinpoint exactly what…"  
The professor droned on and on about this formula that had been recently discovered and Starlight just can't take it. She slammed her head into her desk and sighed. She hates math class with a passion.  
13 years have passed since that day when the Timberwolves attacked her and to this day, she was still wondering why they would attack her. What confused her even more was that necklace they used. How could something like that cause her so much pain? It made no sense. And that black pony that saved her. He seemed so scary, yet so familiar. Yet, she never met him until that moment. Just what-  
The professor slammed his ruler onto her desk, snapping her out of her trance. "Ms. Starlight Sparkle! Did you happen to hear what I was saying?"  
"Un, yeah." she quickly said. "(idiot. You didn't hear anything.)"  
"Oh, really? Then tell me, how do you isolate the isotopes?"  
"Un…" Starlight looked to her left and her right. Of course, her classmates aren't going to help. "un… with water?" she heard several of her classmates groan.  
The professor snarky chuckled. "wrong, Ms. Sparkle." Starlight whined and slammed her head into her desk. "I am expecting a full report on this by tomorrow, Starlight."  
"but I didn't take any notes!" the prof didn't care and just walked back to the front of the class. That professor is one of the main reasons she hates math class. She groaned and rolled her head, looking out the nearest window. She wonders if her friends are going though the same hell she is.

Woona laughed as her fighting game character kicked another off the cliff. "YES! PWNED! HAHAHA!"  
Luna couldn't help but chuckle at her hyper daughter. She certainly has Trixie's spirit. "remember to let our opponents get some points in, okay? Otherwise, we may lose them from our game."  
Woona rolled her eyes. She just loves kicking butt. "okay, mom. And to be fair…" Woona unplugged her controller and used her magic to send it aside. Luna pressed a few buttons on her controller and sent her opponents character flying.  
"PWNED!" Woona cheered. Luna couldn't help but smile.

Woona: fs71/i/2012/089/7/b/gamer_luna_and_woona_pwned_by_

Marian looked into her mirror and brushed her hair. She noticed the cape and hat her mother gave her long ago in the mirror and looked back at them. She used her magic to pull them over. Her mind flashed back to the day her mother gave them to her.  
{filly Marian looked at her mom's old cape, which she found in a old box, and tied it around her neck. Trixie walked by, noticed her messing with her old effects, and smiled with a chuckle. She walked in, getting Marian's attention.  
"can I be a great and powerful magician too?"  
Trixie was surprised to hear that from Marian. She thought she would go and be something else. To be a magician, like her… Trixie smiled and grabbed her old hat.  
"sure you can. But first, you need and great and powerful hat…" she placed it on Marian's head, who smiled.}

Marian: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%

Marian lightly chuckled before putting the hat on. The Alicorn Amulet that her mom gave her when she was 2 hung off her neck. She turned and headed for the door.

A white stallion with a blue curly mane walked up to the regal rulers and bowed to them. "Your service to the empire is quite the most…actiony one." Cosmos said.  
"taking down a powerful trafficking cartel, stopping a surge of Windigoes up at Nome, preventing a invasion of Diamond Dogs; you're rising up faster then your father." Celestia said.  
"And it is with great respect and honor to you and your actions that we promote you, the youngest pony to reach the rank of captain." Luna used her magic to place a helmet on the pony's head. "rise, Captain Glade Yggdrasill."  
Glade rose up and bowed to them. "I am proud to accept this prestigious honor, your majesties." the royals bowed to him in return.  
Once that was done, Cadence broke character and hugged and kissed her son, much to his dismay and to her aunt's humor. "Oh, my little Glady is growing up." she said as any mother would.  
"mom. Please. Not now. We're in the presence of Celestia." he said with a hint of distress. This was just too embarrassing.  
"you keep this up and you'll end up becoming a general." his father, Shining Armor, said.  
"well, I don't know about general, dad." he nervously said.

Erys sat back on a tree, taking a much-needed nap. A apple fell from the tree above and hit her on the head, waking her up. She rubbed where the apple hit her, picked it up, and bit into it.  
"that hurt." she said with her mouth full.  
A flash of white went though her eyes, causing her to drop the apple and hold her head in pain. "o-ow." she heard a ringing sound like a grenade or a artillery strike went off near her. "not… again…" this wasn't as bad as last time and soon passed. She panted as she continued to hold her head. "no voice that time…" she gasped.  
She got up and walked over to the nearest stream. She used her magic to bring water up from the stream and splash it in her fave. "what is happening to me?" she gasped. "3 months… and it's just getting worse…" she whined.

Pound cheered as he flew though the air, pulling loop-de-loops. "This is awesome!" he cheered.  
"yeah. Great. Now get down here." his sister, Pumpkin, called out. "mom and dad need our help in the kitchen." Pound sighed in defeat and flew on down. Without even stopping, he flew though the door. Pumpkin sighed in defeat and followed after him.  
The twins walked into the kitchen where their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, their aunt Pinkie, and their uncle Marble were hard at work. "there you two are." Mrs. Cake sternly said.  
"Sorry, mom, but SOMEONE…" Pumpkin elbowed her brother in the side. "…was goofing off."  
"well, the ladies seem to like it." he groaned. "I'm not sure why you're sore about it." Pumpkin groaned again as she pinched her eyes.  
"Pound. Pumpkin. Enough!" Mr. Cake said. "Can you please just get to work?"  
"yes, dad." they both said. They both grabbed their aprons and went to work. Just as he grabbed the dough and went to work kneading it, Pound noticed something. "where's Cotton?"  
The door to the shop opened and closed. Cotton called out, "Sorry I'm late." the pink Earth Pony with shorter and less curly hair then her mother and with a Cutie Mark just like her name walked in. "I lost track of time."  
"just as long as you're hear to help." Pinkie said.  
"sorry. It won't happen again. Although I did find this one Pegasus who wasn't that into playing, he was more excluded then others, but I kept trying to makehimjoininandmakehimfeelw elcome,afeatbettersaidthendoneand…"  
Cotton droned on and on and on and everyone, except her parents, found it annoying. "not again." Pound and Pumpkin groaned.

Pound and Pumpkin: fs71/i/2012/074/1/1/mlpfim_grown_up_pound_and_pumpkin_cake_by_

Cotton Candy (Cotton belongs to Deviantart user Kelmar2593 and being used with his permission): fs70/f/2012/205/4/c/cotton_candy_by_

"WOO-HOO!"  
A brown speck shot though the air, pulling loop-de-loops and pulling insane maneuvers that would make her mother proud. Speaking of which, Rainbow Dash watched from the nearest cloud as her son pulled those moves. "Go, Soarin' Cloud!"  
"Who's Awesome? I'm Awesome!" Cloud cheered as he spun and flipped though the sky.  
"that you are!" Shadow said as he flew up beside Dash. His ground-breaking invention, a pair of mechanical wings, closed up and retracted like normal Pegasi wings.  
"there you are." Dash kissed her hubby on the cheek. "where's Eris?"  
"Coming up behind me." he said as he sat down. "How's Cloud doing?"  
'Pretty good. He's pulling off tricks that even I haven't been able to pull. Guess there ARE some moves that guys can do better then girls."  
Shadow took that to mean something else and snickered with a grin. "that, I know." Dash lightly pushed him and he chuckled. He turned her and pinned her to the cloud. "you're lucky your cute." he chuckled before they both kissed each other.  
"oh, good grief. At least wait until we're back home." Eris Shine said as she flew up. The mint-green Pegasus with 3 lightning bolts for her Cutie Mark landed on a nearby cloud and gagged.  
"haha!" Cloud exclaimed as he flew down. The brown Pegasus with goggles and a scarf with a cloud Cutie Mark landed on the same cloud as Eris. "did you all see that?"  
"we sure did." Dash chuckled. "you pulled some nice moves."  
"And I'm about to pull some more." Cloud spread his wings and took off to the sky.  
Eris rolled her eyes and sighed. "boys."

Eris Shine: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%203/sky_strike_by_winter_osprey-d5fskjd_

Soarin' Cloud (same situation as with Cotton; belongs to Kelmar2593 and used with permission): fs71/f/2012/204/7/b/cloud_by_

Sweet Song hummed a tune as she walked though the streets of Ponyville. She broke it and dreamily looked up at the sky. The mint-green unicorn saw a brown speck fly though the sky and sighed.  
"Ah. There's no one cuter then Soarin' Cloud." she sighed. No one made her happier. Her love for Cloud was so natural, it even reminded her of the day she first got her Cutie Mark.  
{Lyra looked though the living room but couldn't find her daughter.  
"Bonnie? Do you know where Sweet Song disappeared too?" she called out.  
"I think she went outside." Bonbon replied from the kitchen.  
Lyra took her advice and looked outside. "Sweet Song? Sweet Song? Sweet Song, it's time for d-" she stopped in mid-step and watched as her daughter sat under a tree, singing a song.  
" my life is like a gentle breeze, aiding all with a soothing touch. My love for you will keep you strong and help you though the night… "  
Sweet Song didn't notice it but a music note Cutie Mark appeared.}

Sweet Song: fs71/f/2012/223/8/5/sweet_song_with_cutie_mark_by_baka_

Sweet Song looked back to her Cutie Mark and smiled. "some day… I'm gonna be like Sweetie Belle."

Derpy sighed with much-needed release as eTu`nes scratched her back. "Oh. Yeah. Right there." she pleasurably moaned.  
"you mean…" the drake moved his claws further south. "here?"  
"OH! eTu`nes, you perv." she chuckled. She rolled over onto him and pinned him to the floor. "you just know how to please a mare."  
"I had 17 years practice." the 2 kissed just as their daughter walked on.  
"Oh. Mom. Dad. Please stop. I got friends coming over." Windancer exclaimed with a groan.  
Derpy stopped and looked back to her. "you don't like romance?" she asked.  
"just not when it's my parents." the brown Pegasus with yellow hair similar but longer then her mothers said. She also has Derpy's derped eyes. "please… just try to keep the romance down to a minimum."  
Windancer headed back up to her room, closing the door and leaving her parents alone. "she got her personality from you." they both said to each other.  
Windancerr opened her door just a smidge and looked on. Her parents went back to kissing, which made her sigh. 15 years and they still get lost each other's eyes and embrace. If only she can find romance like that.

Windancer (same as with Cloud and Cotton. Used with permission by Kelmar2593): fs71/f/2012/200/b/4/windancer_by_

Twilight looked though the library's shelf's, trying to find a certain book. "Halo? Do you know where the book on astronomy is?"  
"un, no." he replied from the kitchen.  
Twilight sighed. That can only mean… "Goldie?"  
The 9-and-a-half year old light-purple Pegasus filly with dark purple hair poked her hair from a shelf above and nervously chuckled. "un… yeah, mom?"  
"Do you know where the book on celestial bodies is?"  
"eh…" she slunk back and pulled it out. "You mean this one?" she asked, showing the cover to her mom.  
Twilight used her magic and pulled it down. "you really need to learn to ask me before you take stuff."  
"We live in a library. Why do we need to check our own books out?"  
"because it helps prevent stuff like this happening."  
Goldie rolled her eyes and sighed. Just like mom, as always.

Goldie (OC used with permission from Deviantart User Golden-Fly): fs70/f/2012/251/c/6/teenage_goldie_by_golden_

A pair of golden hooves bucked a apple tree, sending it's product falling into a basket below.  
Peppy Pines panted as she wiped her forehead. "I'm still not sure how mom as able to do this so easily." the light yellow Earth Pony with red hair and a Stinson with a feather in it said.  
"Peppy!" Zilver called out. "Peppy?"  
"Coming, Dad." she grabbed the basket and headed on over to him. "so… how's mom doing?"  
"terrible." Zil said. "that flu looks like it's here for a long while."  
Peppy sighed. Great… just what she needed. More work on the farm. The two walked past a gravestone with the writing, 'here lies Granny Smith, matriarch of the Apple Clan.' Peppy didn't get a chance to know her. She died 3 months before she was even born. Her mom said that the Stinson she's currently wearing was hers great-grandma's when she went to Appaloosa. So, in a way, she does know her.

Peppy Pines (used with permission from Deviantart User Pepooni): fs71/f/2012/223/3/e/peppy_pines_pony_oc_by_

Fluttershy hummed as she finished up bandaging a snake. "there. Now doesn't that feel better?" she asked in her angelic voice. The snake hissed and slithered off to a hide-away.  
"you are just so cute when you deal with animals." Edge said as he walked over.  
Fluttershy chuckled. "I think you're the first pony to even compliment me on that."  
"Don't you mean first changeling?"  
"still the first." her husband fluttered on over and kissed her on the cheek. "and what was that for?"  
"being the best pony out there." he truthfully said. Fluttershy looked at him with light in her eyes and kissed him back.  
On the couch, their 2 children watched.  
"*Sigh* isn't romance wonderful?" Golden-Day said with a heavenly sigh.  
Season's Edge scoffed and sat back. "whatever. Not sure what the big deal is."  
"not sure wh-" the light, light, light pink Pegasus (man, there's a lot of Pegasi here.) with a longer hair style then her mother said in shock. "how can you not fall in love with them falling in love?"  
The changeling with a short hair-cut shrugged. "not sure why ponies can even bother with it. It's not that great." before Golden can answer, he got up and flew away.  
"What's wrong with your brother?" Edge asked.  
"he's just being emo ever since his crush went to the prom with someone else."  
"oh." Fluttershy said.  
"it's just a faze. He does it all the time." Golden-Day sighed. "does suck to be him, though. She even kissed him with Season in plain sight, too."

Golden-Day: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%202/tumblr_m71lanCyKK1r361q4o1_

Season's Edge: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%205/391269_403687089693794_300461471_

"Help me!" Filigree yelled as she ran down the Ponyville streets, being chased by a bunch of kids. "I got killer kids trying to disintegrate me."  
"Die, monster." all 4 of them said.  
Filigree turned down a alley way and screeched to a halt when she came across a wall in her way. The fillies and colts caught up to her and aimed their ray guns. They made shooting sound effects. Filigree played along and hammed on as she pretended to die.  
"Yay. We've slain the beast!" they happily yelled.  
The white dragon/unicorn mare with curly purple and green hair, small dragon-like frills serving the place of ears, and dragon scales running down from her neck, down beneath her belly, and out to her draconic tail got up and chuckled. "okay. You got me. Now can I go home? My mom's waiting for me."  
"okay." the 4 fillies and colts said in unison. They turned and ran off. "See you later, Filigree!" one of the fillies called out.  
Filigree waved good-bye to them then headed for home. Those foals really wore her out. If she had wings, she'd be home in no time.  
"Well, that looked like fun." Filigree heard her little sister said. She shook her head and chuckled. "Shame you didn't invite me."  
"where are you hiding, Fire Ruby?"  
The 11-year-old filly poked her head out of a bushel of flowers and walked over to her older sister. "right here." the purple earth pony with purple hair, tipped with fire-green and with sails running down her back and with frills near her eyes instead of her ears, said. Her name came from her Cutie Mark, which was the same as the fire ruby necklace Spike gave their mother ever since he was a baby himself.  
"Have you been spying on me?" Filigree asked.  
"Who, sweet innocent little ol' me? Naw! I never spy. I snoop."  
Filigree half-closed her eyes. "un-huh." Filigree started for Carousel Boutique with her annoying sister not far behind. "so what were you doing then?"  
"Just taking in the scenery. Smelling some flowers, catching some butterflies. All that good jazz."  
Filigree didn't buy it for a second. "Sureeee…"  
"it's true!"  
"HEY! Who ate my petunias!?" someone yelled out in anger. Ruby whinnied in fear and bolted. Filigree chuckled at her sister's antics. There's only 1 word to describe Fire Ruby, and that's trouble. She always seems to be getting to it ever hour or so.

Filigree: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%202/mlp_spike_n_rarity_s_filly_by_

Fire Ruby: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%205/3378_395247390529294_1427105943_

Starlight sighed as she looked out the window. "Yeah… everyone must be having fun right now…" she sighed.  
"MS. STARLIGHT! Pay attention!" the professor yelled.  
Starlight straightened. She doesn't want him angry. He's scary when he's angry.


	4. Bass Clef

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 3

Bass Clef

A dirty-blue/gray Earth Pony with scruffy blue hair screeched to a halt as he came to the edge of the roof he was running on.  
"Stop, thief!" a police officer called out as he and others ran up the latter after him.  
"All this for a loaf of bread?" the pony wondered as he looked at it.  
The officers ran up and surrounded him. "you got nowhere left to go, Bass Clef."  
Bass gulped. Looks like the coppers got him this time. He looked back over the side and weighed his options. On one hand, he can go back to jail. On the other… "bu-bye." he said before jumped over the side. The guards yelped and ran to the side to see him fall.  
Bass grabbed a rope with his teeth and swung into a window, breaking it as he rolled on the ground inside a pony's bathroom, where someone was taking a bath. "hey there, Ms. Watkins."  
"AAHH!"  
Bass bolted for the door and ran out.  
He ran out of the ladies apartment building and found him face to face with trouble as the officers that chased him caught him. "crap." he said. "you guys sure know how to spoil a mode. I mean, come on. It's just a loaf of bread."  
The captain sighed. "you know the rules, Bass. Stealing is a crime punishable by 3 weeks in the stockade. Regardless…" he took the loaf out of Bass hooves. "…of what was stolen." he took a bite out of it and threw it away in the nearest trash can.  
Bass scoffed. "good to know that Baltimare's corrupt police force is keeping the peace." he saw a red streak in the sky and snickered. "besides, you won't be able to keep up with me."  
"Keep up? We just c-"

Begin Song: watch?v=UJ4AWdNLBKA One Jump Ahead - Aladdin Soundtrack

The captain was interrupted by a phoenix that came from above. It flew overhead, distracting the guards long enough.  
Bass pulled his hooves out of the guards grip, swept under their legs, and kicked them into the others, making them fall into the ground. He bucked the garbage can, causing it to roll into them. The bread fell out and he grabbed it, bolting for the exit.  
"perfect timing, Zel." he said to the Phoenix. The bird squawked in reply.  
The leader growled as he got up. "Get back here!"  
Bass ran out of the alley and into a marketplace.

Bass:  
Gotta keep  
One jump ahead of the breadline …  
A officer got in front of him and tried to slice his head off with a sword. He ducked and skidded underneath the guard, kicking him in the groin, knocking him out of the game.  
… One swing ahead of the sword  
I steal only what I can't afford  
( That's Everything! ) he shrugged to the camera and continued running.  
One jump ahead of the lawmen  
That's all, and that's no joke  
Bass stopped running and leaned on a fountain.  
These guys don't appreciate I'm broke

Officers appeared out of nowhere and tried to take him down as the crowd cheered.  
Crowd and Officers:  
Riffraff! Street rat! Soundrel! Take that!

Bass dodged all the attacks and jumped to the top of the fountain.  
Bass:  
Just a little snack, guys?

The officers all threw produce from nearby stands at him, without even paying too.  
Guards:  
Rip him open, take it back, guys

Bass dodged them all and jumped into the nearest open window.  
Bass:  
I can take a hint, gotta face the facts  
You're my only friend, Zel!

Triplets:  
Who?  
The pony and phoenix both looked up to see that they were in a house with some very sexy triplet ponies. Foreign ponies, which was Bass' fave. One danced over and brushed her tail beneath his head.  
oh, it's sad. Bass Clef has hit the bottom.  
He's become a one-man rise in crime  
The door opened and the mother walked in. Bass yelped and bolted for the window as she swung her broom at him.  
i'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em  
Bass stopped at the window and held one of the triplets chins sensually. The mom swung her broom again.  
Bass:  
Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat  
Tell you all about it when I got the time!

Bass:  
He tip-toed across a clothes wire.  
One jump ahead of the slowpokes  
Zel bonked one of the officers in the head, knocking him out.  
One skip ahead of my doom  
Bass appeared right next to a market and took the apple he was holding. He tried to chase after him but found that he was tied.  
Next time gonna use a nom de plume  
He knocked on a wall, leading some clueless guards into a garbage bin.  
One jump ahead of the hitmen.  
Bass jumped into a hay bale, falling into it harmlessly. The officers that fell after him instead hit a brick wall.  
One hit ahead of the flock  
Bass strolled out of the hay bale like nothing had happened then bolted for the next street.  
I think I'll take a stroll around the block

The officers caught up to him and cornered him in front of a house as the crowd shouted some mean names.  
Crowd:  
Stop, thief! Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!

Bass nervously backed up.  
Bass:  
Let's not be too hasty

The door opened up and a Diamond Dog trying to be pretty grabbed Bass and held him close, much to his disgust.  
Lady:  
Still I think he's rather tasty

Bass slipped out of her embrace and ran though house to the nearest open window.  
Bass:  
Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat  
Otherwise we'd get along

Officers ran by a old man reading a newspaper, which turned out to be Bass in a old man's disguise. He quickly zoomed out of his clothes and down another street.

Zel flew though the air, leading officers down a false route as Bass ran the other direction.

The pony whistled non-chalantly as he leisurely strode down a lane. A couple of officers spotted him and ran after him. They were, instead, met with a couple of rakes that came up when they stepped on them.

Having run out of tricks, Bass ran as fast as he could with what seemed to be the entire Baltimare police force after him.  
Bass and (Crowd, guards):  
One jump ahead of the hoofbeats  
(Vandal!) he grabbed and bolted up a latter as fast as he could.  
One hop ahead of the hump  
(Street rat!) he grabbed a piece of cloth that hung off the side of the building, angering it's owner.  
One trick ahead of disaster  
(Scoundrel!) he reached the top and kicked the latter down. Sending the officers screaming down.  
They're quick, but I'm much faster  
(Take that!) a couple of officers climbed up and cornered the helpless earth pony. Well, not so helpless. He fluttered the cloth to them with a snicker.  
Here goes, better throw my hand in  
Wish me happy landin'  
All I gotta do is jump!

Bass jumped off the side, falling off it over the edge leading far to the ground below. He spread it to try and use it as a parachute. It failed and he screamed as he fell.  
Zel flew down to catch him but Bass disappeared in a flash of white before he even got close.

End Song.

Bass found himself floating in a dark void, which was freaking him out.  
"un… what is this?" he said as he looked around, trying to find some speck of light. Nothing. "Hello? Is someone there?"  
The response came as a surprise. "someone is going to be passing though Baltimare very soon." a deep and foreboding voice said. It was so deep, it made Bass nervous. "someone very important. Someone who some may consider to be a abomination. Protect her."  
"huh?" a very confused Bass said. just what is he talking about? Before he could ask, a bright flash of white followed.

Bass opened his eyes and found himself back in the city but in a very different part from where he was. "how did I get here?" he muttered. "I remember falling then… nothing." he shrugged. "something must've happened." he got up and saw that he still had the bread. "everyone's gonna be happy to see you." he trotted off, careful not to run into any officers.

Bass jumped down off a building and into someone's pool. He tossed the bread into a nearby basket before he hit the water. He got out, shook off the water, and grabbed the bread as he headed for a tall tower overlooking the downtown part of the city.

"woo-hoo! Yeah!" A Gryphon exclaimed as he beat a Diamond Dog at a game of table hockey!  
"oh, come on! I had that!" the Diamond Dog argued.  
The Gryphon just shrugged and blew at his paddle. "sorry. That's how the game works." the Diamond Dog exclaimed as he slammed his head into the table.  
"Maryl! Maryl! Maryl! Maryl!" the crowd of 50 Ponies, Changelings, Gryphons, Diamond Dogs, and Dragons; 13 of whom are children, cheered. The Gryphon bowed to them with such a wide grin, it would make the Joker happy.  
The door at the bottom of the tower opened and Bass walked in. "soups on!" he cheered, tossing the loaf of bread at the Gryphon. The kids cheered and headed on down.  
"how'd you get it?" a dragon teen asked.  
Bass jumped up onto a rusted table. "simple, Cliff. A whole lot of patience and planning." he sat back, resting on a pile of crap.  
Cliff, however, wasn't buying that, as if his half-closed eyes didn't say it. "they saw you and ran?"  
"yeah. I was trying to grab another with a few apples. Over-zealous on my part."  
"And Zel?"  
The Phoenix shrieked as it flew in though a open window. It flew over Bass, dropping what he had just described into his lap. "getting the extras." he chuckled. "more bread. And fruit!"  
"Fruit!? Yuck!" the kids all said with great displease.  
Bass shrugged and tossed a apple over to Cliff for him to cut.  
"so did you almost get caught?" the Gryphon asked.  
Bass tossed another apple to the Gryphon so she could cut it up. "Very close, Meryl. They were so close, I could feel heat."  
"yikes." she said, cutting the apple into wedges.  
"just glad I got out in one piece. They tried to cut my head off."  
"they did?" a 7-year old Diamond Dog said with wonder.  
"yep. They got a few hairs."  
"wow." the diamond dog took his wedge. "you're the best, Bass."  
Bass bashfully chuckled as he sat back. "I know." he said with a grin.

Later that night, Bass sat on top of the tower, right near the bell, and looked out over the sleeping city. The lights were on and showcased it beautifully in Luna's moon. He heard snoring and looked back down to his slumbering compatriots and friends. He thought about the kids in their group and sighed.  
"They deserve something better."  
Zel flew up and landed on Bass's outstretched fore hoof. The pony chuckled and petted the phoenix. "same do you, Zel. Hopefully, we'll find your real owner." the phoenix squawked and nuzzled up to Bass' head. The pony chuckled and leaned his head back on one of the pillars. He quickly fell asleep and drifted off to dream land.

Bass Clef: albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%202/222418_245260455602063_64588678_


	5. Plans

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 4

Plans

The bell to the Canterlot School for Gifted Youngsters rang and all the kids cheered as they ran out. "Winter Break! WOOHOO!"  
Starlight walked out with a yawn. She stayed up too late last night, doing some studying into Timberwolves and their lifestyles and works. Every book and nature documentary she found on Timberwolves said the same thing:  
'Timberwolves are Canines made out of wood of any kind; oak, maple, burk, ETC. they are carnivorous creatures who have a taste for Pony and Quarry Eel flesh. Timberwolves are highly violent creatures that can overpower a Windigoe in packs of 10 or more. When one is 'destroyed', they can regenerate as if nothing had happened. If enough are 'destroyed', they can combine into a much larger wolf.  
'as with all Canines, Timberwolves hunt in packs. They always vary in size from 3 to as many as 15. One pack as been reported to have contained 40 wolves; half of whom were pups. Despite their ferocity, Timberwolves are dumb. They always attack in brute force without any sort of plan of attack. The smartest Timberwolves have been is knowing when to Mate.'  
Starlight scoffed. Either the writers haven't spent much time with Timberwolves or the pack that attacked her 13 years ago was an abomination. Maybe it was that leader with the scar; he seemed like a mutant. He had the wolves working as one and he even used a necklace that somehow hurt her. That was another question on her mind; why did that necklace hurt her? And why did it look so… familiar? And who was that black unicorn that saved her?  
"Hey, Starlight!" Marian said as she walked over, still wearing the cape and hat.  
The Alicorn broke out of her trance, glanced up, said 'hey', and continued walking with her head down.  
"you okay?"  
"not really, Marian." Starlight sighed.  
"uh-oh. Nightmare again?"  
"Yep. And it was the same one; The Timberwolves attacking me in the forest and that unicorn saving me. I swear, these last 2 weeks were not kind to me." the two arrived at a park bench, which they sat down on. "why are they popping up now and not when it actually happened?"  
Marian shrugged. "the mind works in mysterious ways. Did anything happen 2 weeks ago that brought up these nightmares?"  
Starlight thought back but couldn't think of anything that would've triggered it. "mmm… no. nothing."  
"huh." Marian sat back. "that's odd."  
Starlight sputtered and looked back to her cousin. She just then noticed the new outfit. "hey, Marian. What's with the new look?"  
"oh, this?" she gestured to the cape and hat. "they were my mom's. she gave them to me when I was 7."  
"speaking of aunt Trixie, how is she?"  
"Still sick. I think she caught what aunt Applejack caught."  
"the flu?"  
"the flu."  
Starlight sighed, then lightly coughed. "and I think I'm getting it." she grunted as she cleared her throat.  
"just be glad it's just a cough. Mom's vomiting like there's no tomorrow."  
Starlight whimpered. "thanks for making me nervous."  
"no problem." Marian chuckled.  
Starlight rolled her eyes and chuckled. "so, what's with the get-up? You planning on performing any magic tricks. Like, for a special somepony."  
Marian whistled and tapped her hooves together. "Maybe. Considering if he's interesting." she sat back and put her hooves behind her head. "speaking of cute guys, we need to find you a boyfriend."  
"What? No no no no no no! I'm not planning on falling in love until I'm in my 30's."  
"What?! Come on. You should meet someone now. You can find a real cute stallion… or mare, if you swing that way. And why do you want to wait until your 30? What could happen if you fall in love now?"  
Starlight looked at her cousin with one eyebrow raised. With some charades, she said… "Mom. Dad. Gryphon Kingdom. *bed spring sounds*. Me."  
"last I checked, they were 24, not 17." she said with eye's half closed.  
"whatever." Starlight laid down as she continued to chuckle. Her chuckle quickly left and got replaced with moodiness. "besides… Who would fall in love with me?"  
Marian looked at her with a expression crossed weird and surprised. she quickly got rid of the expression before Star looked at her and quickly thought up something. "l-l-lots of ponies. And maybe gryphon's, dragons, changelings… the list goes on and on."  
Starlight sighed. "I repeat. Who could ever fall in love with a Alicorn freak?"  
Marian rolled her eyes. Where'd this sudden depression come from? She thought for a moment and came up with a idea. "you know, Peppy and Cotton are having a party tonight at Sugar Cube Corner to celebrate the beginning of winter break."  
"yeah. So?"  
"So… maybe we can find you a nice stallion. They say winter romances are the best."  
"you are not going to let up on this, are you?"  
"no."  
Starlight sighed and got up. "thanks for caring, Marian." she unfurled her wings and flew away.  
Marian cocked her head in confusion. "what is with that girl?" she muttered. "Why did she call herself a freak? And why is she acting all moody?" she sat there, trying to figure out why Star's acting like this.  
"… is it that time of the month?"

The rhythmatic pounding of a bass speaker blasted though the dance club known as Electronic Symphony. Vinyl was messing with her turntables off the stage. It had been acting weird for the past few days and she's trying to figure out why. Octavia was also helping but her knowledge of electronic stuff was 'Pfft'.  
But wait, if Vinyl and Octavia are busy with a turntable, then who's keeping the club going? Well, the club's namesake; Octavia's and Vinyl's unicorn son Electronic Symphony. He had the basses pounding and the music booming with his uncle Neon Lights. Sym saw Peppy, Pumpkin, and Cotton come in and sit down at a table. He couldn't help but smirk.  
"taking off for a beat, uncs. Take care for a tick." he said before jumping off the stage. Neon scratched his head, not sure what his nephew had said.  
Sym jumped down off the stage and walked on over to the mares. "hellllo, Idaho." he chuckled. Cotton and Peppy heard him and rolled their eyes. "to what do I own the honor of having two VERY lovely mares visiting my establishment?"  
"oh, brother." Peppy sighed. "First off, Sym. This place belongs to your mothers. Secondly, stop talking like that; it's stupid. And thirdly, stop trying. You're not going to get either of us."  
Sym frowned. "way to bust balls, Peppy." Peppy shrugged then chuckled. "so, what are you two doing here?"  
"We're here to ask Vinyl and Octavia if we can use this place for a party." Cotton explained.  
"Party? What party?"  
Pumpkin took over. "well, it's two-fold. One, for celebrating the start of winter. And two, for Glade's promotion."  
"Glade got promoted? Again? Wasn't it just last week where he was just a corporal?"  
"that was 5 months ago. Of course, you would know if you got your head out of that stupid machine you call a music box."  
Sym couldn't believe what he had heard. She really just say that? "it's called a turntable for a genre called Dubstep and Dubstep is highly growing in popularity. Or did you forget a little song called 'Manenam Style'?"  
"that crappy foreign song?" Pumpkin placed her hoof in her mouth and gagged. "no thanks."  
"well, I seem to remember someone doing the dance for a couple days." Sym did the dance, pretending to be riding a horse while waving his hoof in the air.  
Pumpkins mouth dropped in anger. Cotton and Peppy softly giggled. They quickly stopped and pretended to be innocent angels when Pumpkin shot them a evil glance. Sym also laughed but was cut short when Pumpkin elbowed him in the gut. He still laughed as he fell.  
Cotton leaned over the table. "so… about the party?"  
"Ask my moms. They make the decisions."  
Cotton and Peppy did just that and headed on over to them.  
Sym stopped laughing and got up from the floor. "so…" he held back a laugh. "who alls coming?"  
Pumpkin gave him a sneer but calmed down enough. "well, the entire gang, for starters. As well as all our parents."  
"All of them? Princess' included?"  
"Yep."  
Sym whistled. "wow." he sat down in the same stall as Pumpkin. She scooched away from him. "wait, are Applejack or Trixie coming, cause I thought they're still sick."  
"they are. But Aunt A.J. is well enough to move about. She may not be here for a long time, though, but she can move. Trixie, on the other hand…"  
"Still bad?"  
"Still bad. She got hit with the flu bad. According to Marian and Woona, she's vomiting up a storm."  
"Ew."  
"yeah."  
A uncomfortable silence fell on them both. Pumpkin coughed as Sym whistled. He tapped his hooves on the table. "so-"  
"We got the place!" Cotton happily exclaimed as she hopped on over.  
"you did?"  
"yes, yes, yes!" Peppy laughed as she slid to a halt. "we just need the condiments and the guest of honor and we can get this party started !" she and Cotton laughed and headed off.  
"really, Peppy? I thought you had a lot of work to do, getting everything ready for Hearth's Warming Eve." Sym pointed out.  
Peppy stopped and kept laughing. "don't worry, Sym. I learned my lesson last time and did it during the summer."  
"that's why we never saw her. And I thought she was just avoiding us." Pumpkin said.  
"Show's how much you know." Sym commented. Pumpkin twitched a eye then beaned him upside the head.

Electronic Symphony: fs70/f/2012/237/d/8/mlp_fim_oc_lyric_by_

Luna looked at a stained glass mural, contemplating on what to do. The stained glass showcased their human friends fighting off the giant dragon known as Oscurita. It wasn't the only stained glass mural dedicated to their human visitors. There was one of them destroying Nightmare Moon completely, one with them destroying a giant crystal creature with Dark Chrysalis inside it, and one with them bringing Cosmos and Erys back and reforming Discord.  
"what to do…" she muttered.  
The doors opened and Erys walked in. "Aunt Luna? What are you doing here?" she walked over.  
Luna heard her name and looked back. "oh. Erys. What are you doing here?"  
"I just came to… get some inspiration." she said as she looked up at the last mural mentioned.  
"inspiration?"  
"Yeah. Peppy and Cotton are throwing a party for Glade's promotion and… well, this stallion I like is going to be there and… well, I'm nervous that he won't like me."  
"what makes you say that?"  
"well… I never tried to talk to him and I don't think he knows I exist."  
Luna chuckled. "I see."  
Erys turned back to her aunt. "do you have any tips for me? Cause I could sure use some. Like, how did you and Aunt Trixie meet? And how did your relationship go?"  
Luna chuckled again. "well, I was the stupid one who decided to go with a disguise."  
"disguise?"  
"yeah. I was nervous that no one would go out with a princess so your mother decided to bless a lily as a disguise. During my masquerade as Lily, I met the love of my life. And when she found out that Lily was really me, I thought she didn't want to see me but I was proven wrong. Trixie loved me for me."  
Erys looked with her with curious eyes. "nice story but how does that help me with my boy troubles?"  
"didn't you listen? Trixie loved me for me. Hopefully, they'll be some stallion or mare that will love you for you. Just be yourself."  
"be myself…" Erys repeated. She looked back up at the mural. "if you say so, Aunt Luna." Luna looked up at the mural as well and walked up beside her. That reminds her… "you know, you didn't answer what you were doing here, Aunt Luna."  
The princess knew that question was coming. "I… was hoping that the humans would come back."  
"come back?"  
"yeah. I have this terrible feeling that something horrible is going to happen and it's going to happen soon. And I'm not just feeling it; Celestia and Cosmos feel it too."  
"they do?" and they're Alicorns. "so, why don't me, Woona, Cadence, or Starlight sense it?"  
"cause the 3 of us are intune to the planet. Comes with being born 2000 years ago. Alicorns born way back when can sense disturbances in the planet though a number of means; the air, the ground, the birds songs…"  
"Like now?"  
"yeah. There's some bad on the horizon. Something horrible; something… dark."  
"That's why you want our human friends to come back; so they could deal with it?"  
"yeah. If it wasn't for them, Nightmare Moon would've taken control of the planet and we would've still be human. Chrysalis and the Changelings would've had the world under their control. Discord would've gotten his revenge and send the world into chaos. And Oscurita and his handler… would've killed us all. Now… without them… I'm worried about what will happen now."  
Erys wondered that as well. If it wasn't for them, she'd still be a Draconequus. Or dead. She shook her head. "well, as Season would say, no sense worrying about it now. When it comes, it'll come. And every bad situation has some good outcome."  
"Season said that?"  
"yep. Every word. And he is right, there always is some good out of a bad scenario. Without the bad Discord caused, Mom wouldn't have her best friend back, Dad would still be in that prison of his, and I wouldn't be here."  
Luna took what she said to heart. if she wasn't worried about her being a princess, she wouldn't have met Trixie. A whole bunch of what-ifs. Erys quickly dismissed it.  
"So… you coming to the party?"  
"Are you kidding, I wouldn't miss it. It's not every day someone Glade's age becomes a captain."  
"what about Aunt Trixie?"  
Luna winced. "oh. Right. I forgot she was sick." she looked up to the tower she and Luna were living. "hopefully, she's feeling better. If not, guess I'm staying."  
"staying?"  
"Part of love is learning to sacrifice." Luna said as she walked to the exit.  
Erys stayed and looked at the mural Luna was looking at. What did she mean, that something dark was on the horizon? Naturally, that would be considered as something horrible but… that's it. What else is there? What is that something dark? What is that something horrible? Erys thought long and hard about it until she got a headache. A really bad headache.  
"Ah! Not again!" she snarled to herself as she fought it though.

Within a dark corridor, the torches lit up in a violent and bright manner. Green and black fire rose up from the torches. A coffin opened up and a black pony rose out of it. He roared as he fired a beam into the ceiling from his horn, destroying a small part of it.  
"ARHHHA!" he fired again, destroying another big part of it.  
"RAAAH-Hahahahahaha!" his roar turned into a laugh. He stopped laughing and walked out of his coffin and the corridor.  
"Finally! After 18 long years of waiting, the day is almost here." he walked into his throne room and sat at his throne. "just a few more weeks and my plan; Orochi's plan, will come to fruition." he pressed a button on his throne, causing the screens to pop up. The screens all focused on a certain pink Alicorn with a light-blue fire-esq mane. "all I need is her… then it will be ready."  
He got up from his throne and walked to the exit. Shadows swirled around him and covered his body. When he reached the gate, the shadows dispersed and he turned into a red Unicorn with a black mane. "but… as good as your plan is, Orochi, it still needs a push." the gates opened wide and he walked out into the cold wilderness.  
"Time to plant the seeds of deceit and distrust." he disappeared in a flash of dark fire.


	6. Party of Deceit

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 5

Party of Deceit

Goldie whined as she impatiently paced outside her parents bedroom. "Mooooom! Daaaaad! Hurry up! We're gonna be late." she whined. "Glade's going to be angry if we're late to his party."  
"we're talking, Goldie." a emotionally distant Twilight said. "why don't you take Starlight and go on ahead? We're gonna be awhile."  
A confused Goldie scratched her head but then shrugged. She then headed off for Starlight's room, eager to get to the party pronto.

Starlight was hard at work, trying to figure out what outfit to go with. "hmm… the ballroom dress." she used her magic to pull the dress over to her. She was prepared to put it on manually when she thought something up. Putting it on would take too long and Goldie would hate her for it. And using her magic would take too long as well.  
"if Mom found out, she'd kill me." she muttered. She made sure the door was locked good and tight and the curtains closed before going to work. "2 minutes aught to do it." she muttered.  
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her Cutie Mark glowed as her power over time fast-forwarded her two minutes into the future. The dress quickly got on and she found a bow for her fire-like hair, which only looked like fire but didn't have it's properties.  
It may've looked like a few seconds to us but to her, two minutes went by like *snaps fingers* that.  
Fully dressed up, Starlight stopped her magic and looked in the mirror. "yeah. That'll do." she grabbed a rose and put it in her dresses breast pocket. "why is Mom so afraid of this kind of magic? It's not going to hurt anyone." she headed to the door. "at worse, I can turn someone into a old hag or a filly again." she opened her door and found her sister waiting outside with a irritated look. "Goldie?"  
"hurry up! We're gonna be late!" she urgently exclaimed.  
"I'm ready. I'm ready. Sheesh. You think it was your own party."  
"Great! Finally." she said, not really listening to Starlight. Goldie rubbed her head and sighed. "I'll be downstairs. Maybe you can 'convince' Mom and Dad to talk faster."  
Starlight gave her a irritated look. "Goldie…"  
"hey. I was just throwing out a suggestion. Doesn't mean you have to go with it." Goldie left and headed for the stairs.  
Starlight playfully scoffed. "wow. She is something." she chuckled again and headed for her parents room.

Twilight used her magic to bring a necklace over to her. She put it on with a *click* and went to work brushing her hair.  
Halo stood behind her with a somber look. "Twilight… you can't ignore this…"  
Twi adopted the expression and sighed. "I know. But I thought we agreed to wait until she turned 20."  
"I know. I know. But… I feel like Starlight deserves to know."  
Twi sighed again. "you're right, Halo, but we can't tell her now. She's in a very delicate part of her life right now. She could barely survive her favorite band breaking up. If she learns this… I'm worried that she'll do something stupid and reckless."  
Halo lightly shrugged in agreement. "true. She's not exactly known for her taking things well. But still… she deserves to know the truth." he looked away from his wife and sighed. "she deserves to know that I'm not her real father…"  
Twilight sighed and lowered her head to her makeup desk. Knowing the truth, that Starlight's dad was some ruffian that had his way with her in Feather Top… "that's going to devastate her, Halo. I can't believe it myself…" she got up with a heavy sigh. "we just have to… find a way to break this to her gently. Maybe… when she's had the best day of her life…"  
"And we know that's not going to happen anytime soon." Halo used his magic to bring his tie over and put it on.  
Twilight looked at her handsome husband and somberly smiled. She used her magic to pull him over and kissed him on the cheek. "you're so handsome, you know that?"  
Halo smiled smugly. "I know."  
"MOM! DAD!" Goldie called up from the main room of the library. "HURRY UP! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"  
Twilight chuckled. "she is so antsy when it comes to her cousin. It's like she's obsessed with him."  
"Just like how you're obsessed with Shining Armor?" he said as he headed for the door.  
"Hey!" she started towards him and the exit. "He's my Big Brother Best Friend Forever. And the only friend I had in Canterlot other Celestia and Cadence."  
"Right. Right." Halo used his magic and they both walked out the door. "and what; no Lyra or Moondancer?"  
"I only knew her in High School." Twi commented as they walked down to their second daughter. "Oh. Forgot to close the door." Halo used his magic to close the door from downstairs, which had a highly shocked and disturbed pink Alicorn on the other side.  
Starlight knees buckled and she fell. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She was a accident? A bastard child of some pervert? She doesn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe it. But she heard her parents say it.  
"STARLIGHT!" Goldie called out from below. "WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG?!"  
Star snapped out of her shock-induced trance but couldn't get over this shocking revelation. But if she lets her parents know that she found out, they would likely confront her. She has to play it safe for now, until she gets the full story. "s-sorry." she said, trying to hide her broken heart. "I had to go to the bathroom."  
With a heavy heart, she got up. Her knees still buckled beneath her but she had to ignore it. She forcefully stiffened them and walked to her family. Well, her family plus Halo.

A noisemaker went off and streamers fell on the unsuspecting Glade's head.  
"CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PROMOTION!" All his friends and family cheered.  
Music started up and they all know what that meant. Cotton, her mother Pinkie, and Peppy appeared on the stage in wisps of spotlights.  
" Congrat-congrat-congratulations! Congrat-congrat-congratulations! Congratulations on your promotion! you are now a captain of the royal army! Now can we get to celebrating winter? "  
The crowd politely applauded. Cotton's and Peppy's friends cheered like there's no tomorrow. The trio grabbed each other's hooves and bowed to them all.  
"Encore! Encore!" Windancer, Eris, and Filigree cheered.  
Cotton and Pinkie looked at each other and smiled wide. Peppy chuckled at how hyper those 2 are. She walked off before she got roped in again.

The black and red pony appeared just outside of the club in a flash of dark fire. He heard the music booming and the ground beneath him shake.  
"humph. I will never understand the fascination with this 'pop' craze." he said as he walked to the club.

"Guys. You didn't have to throw me this party." Glade said to his friends in a corner of the club. The party was in full swing and kicking. Everyone was having a great time. Everyone except Starlight that is. She was still depressed by what she heard her parents say, but she kept up a brave face so her friends wouldn't get suspicious.  
"are you kidding, Glade? You're the youngest knight in history to get promoted to Captain. You deserve this kind of shindig." Pound said.  
"plus, Cotton already planned to use this party to celebrate the coming of Winter. So, technically, it's a win-win here." Peppy said.  
"if you say so." Glade said with a light shrug.  
Cotton laughed as she jumped down from the stage. "Did you all see that sweet move I just pulled? Man, it was so awesome. You know, I think I could've been a skateboarder."  
Filigree couldn't help but burst out laughing. "A skateboarder? You? Hahahaha! Cotton, there's 2 things needed for that. 1; you need to have to legs. That's why it's a Dragon and Diamond Dog sport. And 2; you have no balance."  
Cotton playfully gasped. "that's not true."  
Eager to help Filigree put Cotton down, Woona used her magic to summon up a balance bean. Cotton scoffed and jumped up onto it. 2 seconds later, she fell off. "Told ya." Filigree said.

Erys hid around the corner of the stage and took a deep breath. "Come on, Erys. Come on, Erys. You can do this." she took another deep breath and started to walk out when anxiety hit her and she bolted back behind it. She quickly breathed as she bit her hoof. She slapped herself in the head. "Come on. Remember what Aunt Luna told you; Just be yourself." she steeled herself and headed out. "Hey there, Pound."  
The Pegasus heard his name, looked back, saw her, and went "hey, Erys." he then went back to eating a corn on the cob.  
Erys walked up to him, trying to hide a smile. She stopped just beside him. "do you mind if I sit down?"  
"no. go right ahead." he offered a seat to her. She smiled and took it. She just sat there, watching him, which made him feel weird. "uh… you want something to eat?"  
"yeah. I'd like that." she said with a hint of passion. She argued internally in her mind about wanting to tell him. "(come on, stupid. Tell him. Tell him.)"  
"Can we get another corn cob over here?!" Pound called out.  
"so… you like corn?"  
"like it? I love it! If possible, I'd change my name to Corn Cob."  
"Ah. (wow. He really likes corn.)"  
"but…" the new order arrived. He pushed on it, sending it to her. "I'm not that obsessed with it."  
"oh. Thanks, Pound." Erys used her magic to grab hers and pull it to her mouth. "you know, I never had corn before."  
"Really?"  
"yeah. In the castle, we had fancy feasts and lovely meals but… I don't think we ever had corn."  
Pound chuckled. "You're missing out."  
Erys looked at it, curious as how to eat it. "so… how do you eat it?"  
"like this." Pound held his up and went all Scooby-Doo on it, mowing though it. He looked to see Erys still confused. "you can do it slower, you know."  
"I was well aware of that part." she muttered. "um… how does it taste because I have a sensitive pallet."  
"pretty good. Nice and juicy too. It tastes a whole lot better with butter, pepper, and a dash of salt."  
"oh." Erys did just that and flavored the cob up. Done with that, she took a bite. She bit down, chew it down, and swallowed. "Wow. This is incredible."  
"really?"  
"yeah. I never tasted anything like it. It's good." she took another bite, trying to hide her distain for it. "(don't let him know that you hate it, Erys. That only turns stallions off.)"

Applejack moaned as she rested her head on a table. "why did you guys make me come?" she painfully asked her friends.  
"Cause you needed to get some fresh air." Twilight said. "you've been stuck in your house for a week."  
"that's because I'm sick! And coming to a night club isn't going to make me feel any better. Besides, Trixie didn't come and she's as sick as me."  
"Sicker." Celestia said. "Trixie's got a high fever going, along with vomiting. Zilver says those symptoms disappeared from you a long time ago."  
Applejack groaned as she moved her head. "still doesn't mean I don't feel like crap." she blinked a few times and groaned again.  
Zil shrugged to her sisters-in-law, not sure what to do.  
"Wait. I think I have something that will cheer you up." Derpy said.  
Eager to try anything, Applejack turned her head to the mare. "What?"  
"well, we're not supposed to give out information about packages and letters earlier then we're supposed to but… tomorrow, you should be receiving a letter from Applebloom."  
"Applebloom!?" Applejack happily said, feeling a lot better. She hasn't seen her little sis in 6 years, not since she moved to Manehatten to live with Babs and her family. In fact, it's been 3 months since her last letter.  
"yeah. I don't know what's in it but my gut's telling me it's good news."  
"What about letter's from Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked.  
"Or Scootaloo?" Dash added.  
Derpy shook her head. "none today, I'm afraid. I didn't even get one from Dinky."  
Both Dash and Rarity's ears drooped. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Dinky left around the same time as Applebloom and stopped writing 3 months ago as well.  
Sweetie Belle went to Baltimare with Sapphire Shores to become a professional singer; with Rumble along for the ride. She quickly became one of the hottest singers on the planet. Just 4 months ago, Sweetie Belle appeared on Jimmy Clopple Live, announcing her engagement to Rumble, much to Rarity's surprise.  
Scootaloo moved to the Gryphon Kingdom to help Feather Weight find a steady job. Easier said then done. In her last letter 4 months ago, Scootaloo said that she and Feather Weight eloped in Las Pegasus.  
And Dinky and Pipsqueak, now asking everyone to call him Pip instead cause he ain't small anymore, just… disappeared. Derpy believes they went with Daring when she last came to town and the letters, which are a bit hard to read thanks to them writing in riddles, seemed to lean toward that.

Starlight sat by herself in a corner of the club, messing with the umbrella in her drink. She wants to be by herself right now, just wanting to let what happened sink in.  
"Halo… isn't my father…" she closed her eyes. "Why did Mom lie to me all my life?" she silently cried, causing a few tears to fall. "why would she lie?" She heard someone approach but didn't open her eyes. She just wanted to be alone.  
"is this seat taken?" a booming voice asked.  
Starlight opened her eyes and looked up to see a Red Unicorn with Black Hair standing next to her. Something seemed off about this guy. She felt a dark foreboding aura around him, like he was really powerful, but in a bad way. If she was her normal self, she'd tell him 'yes. I'm saving it for someone else.' but now, after that revelation a couple hours ago, she's not completely there. "no. you can take it." she hoarsely said.  
The Unicorn used his magic, which had a black glow, and took out his seat. He sat down in it. "Are you okay?" he asked.  
Starlight looked away and set her head down on the table. "no but… you don't want to know my problems."  
"not true. If possible, I can help you."  
Whoever this guy was, he had a point. Besides, keeping something like this bottled up is bad for your health. "all right." she sighed. "I just found out that my father… isn't really my father."  
"Hmm?"  
"Halo, the pony who I thought was my father, just said that he wasn't. he… lied to me all my life. Why would he lie?"  
The red pony pretended to think. "simple. Because he doesn't want you to know your real father."  
That part, Starlight didn't want to believe. "but… why wouldn't he want me to know my real dad?"  
This is going to be easier then he thought. No way she's this naïve. "cause he's likely one of those ponies who only cares about himself and nobody else."  
"Wh- that's not true."  
Guess she is. So much for Alicorns being all-knowing. "why else would he have lied to you for 17 years?"  
Starlight was going to counter-argue but he had a point. Plus, Halo seems to have spent more time with Goldie then her ever since she was born.

"Where's Starlight?" Halo asked, holding a couple of cotton candies with his magic.  
Twilight wondered that as well. She looked around and found her. "Hmm… over there." she pointed to the corner where she was talking with the red pony.  
"Okay." he headed on over to her.

Starlight still sat there, absorbing the pony's words. Halo was just using her? Lying to her, pretending to be her father? What kind of a sick man does that? Speak of the devil, Halo walked up on them both in the middle of their talk. "Hey, Starlight. Who's your friend?" he asked, passing a cotton candy to her.  
"Someone who was just leaving." he got up to leave. "You two have much to talk about."  
He left, leaving Halo confused. "talk? Talk about what?"  
Starlight angrily looked up at him. "the truth, 'Dad'."  
The way she talked surprised Halo. She never spoke to him like that before. "the truth? What truth?"  
Starlight scoffed. "what truth? You know what truth, 'Dad'. you know full well what it is!"  
Halo wasn't sure what she was talking about and started to get a bad feeling. "no… I don't."  
"*Scoffs* of course you don't. you would never know! Geez, I guess Mom married you because of your looks."  
"What has gotten into you, Starlight? Why are you acting like this?"  
"why do you care?" Starlight scoffed.  
"Because I am your father and I deserve a explanation, young lady." he said in a fatherly tone.  
Father? He had the nerve to throw that out? Oh, she had a lot to tell him. "Father? Really? I thought only father's had the right to ask their children what's wrong and last I checked, you're not my real dad!" The music had the unfortunate opportunity of stopping when she yelled that out. Everyone looked in their direction but she didn't care.  
"Why would you care if you're not my real father!?" she said before running to the exit.  
"Starlight!" Twilight ran after her daughter with Halo not far behind.  
"un… what just happened?" eTu`nes asked.  
Something Celestia feared would happen. She had a sinking feeling that the truth would come out but not like this. And if her feeling about something horrible coming is true and Starlight's connected to it…  
The red pony softly and evilly chuckled from a hide-away. "now… I just wait…" he said to himself before disappearing in a flash of dark fire.

Author's Notes:  
If it feels rushed, it's because it was. I've just been feeling uninspired lately and it's showing. I just feel *Pfft* in inspiration.


	7. Uh-Oh

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 6

Uh-Oh

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Petrovskey - Mass Effect 3: Omega OST

The red pony reappeared back in his castle, happy as can be. His disguise melted away that would make someone sick if they didn't know that this was someone else.  
"Oh, this is just too perfect." the evil black unicorn laughed. "I'm so lucky she's so naïve, otherwise that would've gotten a lot more difficult." he walked up to his throne and pressed a button, making the screens pop up. They all focused on the dance club, where everyone was pretty confused by Starlight's outburst. "hmhmhmhm…"  
He pressed another button and focused on the library. That's where the show is going to happen. "wish I had Popcorn." he chuckled as he sat down and got comfy for the show.

End Song.

The door to the library slammed open and Starlight stormed in. she was absolutely furious at her mother, And Halo, for lying to her all her life. She used her magic and slammed the door shut on her parents.  
The door opened and Twilight walked in. "Starlight!" she sternly said.  
"Leave me alone!" she angrily replied.  
"Starlight, Get down here right now! We need to talk!"  
Starlight ignored her mother and just kept climbing the stairs. "I don't want too!"  
Angry at her daughter's attitude, Twilight used her magic to block Starlight's path. "What is going on?"  
"something that doesn't concern you, now leave me alone!" she turned around and headed towards the kitchen, only to have that blocked by Halo's magic.  
"Starlight! What is going on?!" he angrily asked. "Why are you acting like this?"  
Starlight angrily scoffed. Why would he care? "Fine! you want to know!?"  
"Yes!" both Twilight and Halo said.  
"Fine!" she angrily walked past them and kicked the table in the center. "I know that you were lying to me!"  
"Lying?" Twilight gasped. "How?"  
"I heard you and… Halo talking. I know that he is not my real father!" she pointed to Halo.  
Twilight scoffed, trying to get this to go another way. "what? Starlight, I think you heard wrong."  
"I DID NOT!" Starlight yelled. "I heard you both talking in your room! Halo is not my real Dad! The two of you have been lying to me my whole life!"  
Halo and Twilight just stood there, not sure what to say next. They didn't want Starlight to learn about it like this. "S-Starlight…" Twi gasped.  
The Alicorn teen lowered her head. "Why!?" she pleaded. "Why did you lie to me!?"  
Twi and Halo looked at each other, not sure what to say. "Starlight… I… I was looking out for you. I was worried that if you found out of Halo wasn't your real dad, you'd…"  
"I'd what?" Starlight interrupted. "Throw a hissy fit? Try to destroy the house?" Twilight stayed quiet, giving Star her answer. "I see." Starlight started to leave but stopped. "I'd figure that my own mother would care enough to tell me the truth."  
"I do care about you, Starlight. I truly do. I was… just worried for you."  
"Worried? What do you have to be worried about? The only thing you should be worried about with me is my-" Starlight stopped in mid-sentence as her mind finished it for her. Twi and Halo were also worried about her assumption. "that's it. You weren't worried about me at all. You were worried about my powers over time."  
"No. that's not true." Halo said.  
"Yes, it is. That's why you forbade me to practice my powers and never leave Ponyville or Canterlot. You were worried I'd find out and leave, taking my powers with me."  
"No!" Twi said. "that is not true."  
"it is! Stop lying to me!"  
"We're not lying!"  
"SHUT UP!" Starlight yelled, her horn and Cutie Mark briefly glowing. "JUST STOP LYING!"  
"Starlight, we are not!"  
"YES, YOU ARE!" her Cutie Mark briefly glowed again. "Who knows what else you lied to me about? Is Celestia really my aunt? Did you really raise Spike? Did the humans really come here?" a fearful thought entered her mind, making her stop for a moment. "are you… are you my real mother?"  
Twilight gasped at the accusation. "of course, I am Starlight! I went thought 7 hours of pure torture giving birth to you."  
"It's true. I saw it." Halo said.  
Starlight sternly looked at them both. "When why don't I believe you? Why do I think that you're just lying to hold me back!?"  
Twilight's heart sank at her daughter's attitude. Why is she acting like this? "Starlight…"  
"I'm only going to ask this once and you better answer truthfully." Starlight sternly said. "are you my real parents?"  
Twilight was still stunned by Starlight's earlier accusation that she's not her real mother, leaving Halo to answer. "no… no, I'm not. But Twilight is. Honest."  
Starlight's horn glowed as her anger reached a boiling point. "I SAID STOP LYING!" her eyes turned green with purple fire coming out of the sides. Without thinking, she blasted Halo and sent him flying into a bookcase.  
"STARLIGHT! THAT IS ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled. Thinking for the safety of her husband rather then thinking clearly, Twilight got up and slapped Starlight across the face. The glow in her eyes dissipated as Star rubbed where her mother hit her. Twilight couldn't believe what she did. "Oh my gosh. Starlight, I'm…"  
"you… you hit me…" Starlight gasped as she rubbed her cheek.  
"I'm so, so sorry. Starlight. I didn't mean to. I-" Twi reached out to comfort her daughter but Starlight backed up. She had fear in her eyes, fear of her mother, who never struck her before.  
"you… hit me…" she shakingly said. Tears formed in her eyes which, in turn, made Twilight start to cry. Twi started to speak but Star didn't want to hear any of it. She spread her wings and flew up to her room.  
"Starlight… I'm so sorry…" Twilight gasped. She fell to her knees in shock.

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Petrovskey - Mass Effect 3: Omega OST

The Black Pony chuckled as he watched the events unfold. He was laid back in his chair with his head resting on his left hoof. He grinned wide as Starlight blasted Halo.  
"This is better then a soap opera." he commented.  
When Starlight unfurled her wings and flew off, the pony shut off the screens and got up. "she is just so easy to manipulate." his eyes turned green with purple fire coming out the sides. "it's just too perfect."  
He walked to the double doors to leave when a letter suddenly materialized in front of him. He grabbed it with his magic and pulled it close. He flipped it over to see a seal on the back which he instantly recognized. "Orochi… what do they want…?" he opened it up and read the contents. It said something awful and horrible but he chuckled and ignored it. "Really, Orochi? Well, when I get there…" he used his magic to make the letter burst into flame. "it won't happen."  
He walked off and disappeared in a flash of dark fire.

End Song.

"I just… I don't know what came over me…" Twilight said breathlessly to her mentor. "it just… happened…"  
"Twilight…" Celestia calmly said. Cadence just sat there, not sure what to say.  
"When she blasted Halo, I just lost control and… and I struck her. What kind of a mother does that?"  
Celestia had no answer to give her. She struck down Erys a few times herself but that's because she was out of control like Starlight.  
"Argh!" Halo's cries of pain got both their attentions as Cosmos and Armor helped him up. "dang, that smarts."  
"Halo. You okay?"  
Halo groaned as he got up. "no, I'm not okay. She struck me with a magic blast."  
"why did she do that?" Cadence asked.  
Twi sadly looked away from them. "you heard her blurt out that Halo wasn't her father back at the club, right?"  
"yeah."  
"well… we confronted her about it; she found out by overhearing us, and… she just exploded, saying that we're just a bunch of liars. She then began to question if what she told her was true; if I raised Spike, if that humans really did come here… and if I was her real mother."  
"What?" Armor said. "But that's not true. We saw you grow bigger when you were pregnant with her. We saw- well we didn't see but we heard you give birth to her."  
Twilight closed her eyes and silently cried. "then why did she say all of that? Why… why did she do this?"  
Nobody knew what to say. This was completely unexpected from Starlight. Usually, she's kind and loveable, if not a bit naïve, so this… this is completely out of left field.  
Halo then remembered something from back at the club. "wait. Before she turned into El Diablo, Starlight was talking with some pony back at the club."  
"pony?"  
"Yeah. I didn't get his name but he had a red body with a black mane and tail. I think he was talking to her about this and I think he planted the idea that we were lying to her about everything."  
Armor thought for a moment then looked to the princess. "Celestia, requesting permission to put out a A.B.P. for the suspect with that description."  
"Granted." she immediately replied. Armor nodded and walked on out. "hopefully, if he finds this pony, we'll get some answers."  
"I hope so." Twilight sighed. This was a rough night and she was exhausted.  
Cadence sensed this. "Twilight, you should go and get some rest. This was a tough night for you."  
"Cadence…"  
"I'll take care of Goldie for the night and I'm pretty sure Cosmos can get Halo to the hospital. Right now, you just rest."  
Twi just stood there in surprise for a moment before she sighed and nodded. "Okay, Cadence."

Starlight silently cried into her pillow. She was visibly upset that her mother hit her and didn't want to believe it. Plus, she attacked Halo. There's no way Twilight will forgive her. It's just like that red pony said. They're gonna lie to get what they want.  
Her door knocked and her mother's voice came from the other side. "Starlight…" she hoarsely said. She didn't answer but just kept crying. Twilight heard that and took it to mean she was still there. "Starlight, Halo's going to live. He's being taken to the hospital to be treated for those burns."  
She paused for a moment. Starlight's crying started to make her cry but she steeled herself and wiped her eyes. "Starlight… I'm so, so, so sorry for hitting you. You know I never did that before in my life and it won't happen again. But… why do you think me and Halo have been lying your whole life. I agree what we should have told you about Halo long before but… but this is hardly the way to confront us on the issue. And I promise that, except for Halo not being your father, we have never lied to you about anything."  
Starlight didn't reply. In fact, her room had gone silent. Twilight sighed and turned to leave. "I'll be in my room if you want to talk. Cadence has Goldie so we have all night." she took a step. "if you're willing."  
Twi walked off and left her daughter to think. Starlight slowly opened her door and watched her walk away. "Mom… I'm sorry…" she said., fighting back the tears with determination. "but I have to know."  
she closed the door. From within, the CREEK of window's could be heard, as well as the flapping of wings.

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Petrovskey - Mass Effect 3: Omega OST

The black pony reappeared outside of a museum in Canterlot. "this is it." he used his magic and unlocked the door. The doors opened wide and he just strode on in.  
Almost immediately, a security guard spotted him and radioed the guy on the other end to prepare to lockdown the place in the event of an emergency. "Sorry sir, but this museum is closed for the night. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
The black pony scoffed with a smirk. His horn glowed black as his eyes turned green with purple fire. "not a chance." he aimed and fired at the guard. The guard yelled as he was sent flying though multiple exhibits before crashing into a exhibit dedicated to the Civilizations of Yore.  
The guard watching the monitors went to work and called in a break-in to the police. The pony anticipated this and used his magic to rap the cord around the guard's neck.

The wall separated the next room from the entrance exploded and the black pony just strode on in without a care in the world.  
"where is it?" he muttered as he looked among the relics. After a couple minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for. "Perfect."  
The display case read 'The Staff of Jeria. Recovered by renounced explorer Daring Do and her sister Derpy Whooves and Gryphon companion Silverbolt.' the 2-pronged trident stood in it's case for all to see and admire. Until tonight, that is.  
The pony used his magic to pull the staff out of the display case, breaking the glass as it did so. The security alarm went off, for whatever good that will do. Staff in hand, so to speak, the pony turned to leave only to be cut off by another security guard.  
"s-s-s-s-stay there." he shakingly said, pointing a spear at the guy.  
The black pony scoffed. He can't be serious. Just by the shaking of the spear, he could tell that this guy just got the job. He grabbed the staff with his hooves, which made it surge with power.  
"D-d-d-d-d-d-don't move! I mean it!" the guard threatened.  
"how about…" the tips of the spear crackled as it sparked to life. "no." the pony pointed the staff in the guards direction. The staff glowed then everything went white.


	8. Journey to the Past

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 7

Journey to the Past

Twilight woke up with a bad taste in her mouth. She felt like crap and she looked like crap. She didn't want to believe that last night happened at all; Starlight snapped and attacked Halo and Twilight hit her across the face. She still felt horrible for what she did. She had hoped Starlight would've come into her room to talk but she didn't. she even fell asleep before she knew if Starlight did come.  
She sighed and laid there for a moment before getting out of bed. She had to talk to Starlight about last night. Now that they both calmed down, it seemed like a good time. As soon as she planted her hooves on the floor, her other daughter came running in.  
"Mom! Get out of bed. Quick!" Goldie said with a rushed tone.  
"Goldie, mommy just woke up." Twilight yawned.  
"Well, here's something that will wake you up." Goldie said. That got Twi's attention.

Twilight's extended family, who had arrived a half-hour earlier to talk to Twilight and Starlight, gathered in front of a TV. Goldie ran down with Twilight not far behind.  
"What's going on?" Twilight asked.  
"Look." Applejack said. She moved aside to show Twilight the TV.  
"Goldie, go get your sister." Twilight asked. Goldie didn't argue, she went.  
Scootaloo, with her hair style moved back with a pin, stood on the screen, in front of a pile of rubble. "behind me is what once remained of the Canterlot Museum of Equestrian History. Just a few hours ago, a unknown assailant attacked the museum, taking some artifacts and destroying the place. There's no full assessment of what the assailant took, though surviving guards saw him take a staff that was said to be used by the ancient gods. Guards also describe the assailant as a powerful pony but that's all they were able to provide before going into shock."  
Zilver shut off the TV and whistled. "wow. Destroy a museum?"  
"what could he have wanted?" Celestia wondered.  
"Or she." Cosmos said.  
"right, or-or she. This is quite a predicament."  
"MOOOM!" Goldie yelled. She ran down the stairs to her concerned mother. "Starlight's Gone!"  
Twilight's heart sank a bit. "What?"

The door to Starlight's room burst open as Twilight ran in. the entire room was deserted; books and winter clothing was strewn all over the floor. Her window was open, allowing a gentle breeze to float though. Her closet was open and her saddlebags are missing.  
Twilight's heart sank even further as she fell to her knees. "…oh, no…" she gasped. A piece of paper fluttered though the breeze and stopped in front of her. She picked it up and read it over.  
Her heart reached a all-time low when she finished. "Oh, Starlight…" she said, choked up.

Twilight slowly descended the steps with a heavy heart. She just can't believe it. She doesn't want to believe it.  
Her family noticed her and her big brother walked over to her. "Twili…"  
She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She took a shaking breath and sighed. "she… she's gone…"  
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Twilight handed him the note. He took it and walked over to the others so they can read it as well.

'Mom… I swear, this isn't how I wanted things to go.  
I never meant to attack Da… attack Halo like that. I was just… so furious that you lied to me all these years. And I still am. Why did you lie to me all my life? Why? I know you won't tell me face-to-face; you and your friends are likely to lie to me regardless, and I can't talk to you, not after what happened. I'm sorry… but I'm leaving.  
"please, ignore the tear marks. Writing this was… was hard. I just… I have to know; who is my real father? Why was I born with a Cutie Mark? Why do I have powers over time? Why am I a Alicorn? Why… why am I alive? I just have to know.  
"don't bother trying to find me. I left in the middle of the night and is long gone by the time you read this letter.  
"I'm so sorry for leaving like this. But I have to know.  
"Mom… if you are my real mom… I'm sorry. Tell my friends I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry.  
"I'm sorry… I was ever born…  
"Goodbye… Forever…"

Nobody could believe what they had just read. Armor dropped the letter and shook his head in disbalief.  
"This is all my fault." a emotionally distant Twilight said. "If I just told her sooner… maybe this could've been avoided."  
"Twili…"  
Twilight broke into tears. "why did she leave? Why… why did she do this?"  
Nobody knew what to say to her. This never happened to either to them before. And even if they were to go and try to find her, she was already long gone. This was pretty much a hopeless situation now.  
Glade, however, had other thoughts. "Wait… Starlight left in the middle of the night, right?"  
Erys was afraid of where her cousin was going with this. "yeah…"  
"And the museum was attacked in the middle of the night…"  
Twilight got where he was going at and didn't believe it. "What, you think she attacked the museum?"  
"the evidence fits."  
"That's not true!" Twilight cried. "Starlight would never hurt a fly, much less destroy a building."  
"but she harmed Halo last night because you lied to her. And, she's a Alicorn and everyone knows Alicorns are god-like."  
Twilight didn't want to believe it. There was no way that Starlight could do this, just no conceivable way.  
"Glade, how can you suggest such a thing?" Cadence asked.  
"I hate it too, Mom, but the facts are pointing to Starlight destroying the museum."  
Celestia sighed. "I see it as well."  
"Celestia!" Cadence and Twilight exclaimed.  
"Twilight, I'm sorry, but Glade is right. Starlight likely attacked the museum because of her anger of you and Halo lying to her. But… the question is why."  
"We'll ask her when we find her." Glade said. "As things stand, she is a criminal on the run for destroying private property."  
"plus, she's a Alicorn…" Celestia interrupted. "…a very powerful and very rare breed, and she has power over time. If someone evil like Nightmare Moon finds out, there's no telling what damage will be done to the world."  
Twilight didn't want to hear anymore. She doesn't want to believe this was happening. This couldn't be happening. She just can't. Goldie heard enough as well and ran out to find her friends. Erys saw that and went after her.

"She ran away!?" everyone blurted out. Goldie and Erys found them all at Sugarcube Corner and explained the situation to them all.  
"yeah. In the middle of the night so she could be anywhere by now." Erys said.  
Nobody could believe this. Starlight seemed like the last pony they would expect to run away, or destroy a building. A depressed Goldie sat in a corner with Peppy and Fire Ruby trying to comfort her. "Well, do you have any clues to where she may have disappeared too?" Sym asked.  
Erys shook her head. "not a one."  
"doesn't anyone else think this is a bit of a over-reaction?" Season asked. "so her mom lied about Halo being her father; doesn't seem like something to freak over."  
"She wasn't emotionally stable, Season." Peppy said. "it would've taken a big event like this but she was going to snap sooner or later."  
"Peppy!" Goldie exclaimed.  
"it's true. You lived with her; you saw that she wasn't stable."  
Goldie was going to argue but didn't. Starlight wasn't exactly a collected pony.  
"but why would Glade think that Starlight destroyed the museum?" Marian asked.  
"Thinks that because she ran away at the same time the museum went Ka-blooey, she was the one who destroyed it. Plus, it would've taken a powerful blast to destroy it and Starlight is a Alicorn, one of the most powerful species on the planet."  
"But Starlight isn't that powerful." Cotton said. "she can barely light a candle, let alone destroy a building."  
Soarin' and Pound looked at each other. "well…"  
"well what?"  
"well…" Pound scratched his neck. "Starlight didn't want us to tell anyone this but she's gone now… so…"  
"Starlight was practicing her magic in secret." Soarin' said. "Me and Pound saw her practicing in the Everfree Forest a couple years ago and she pleaded for us to keep silent."  
This was news to them, and to Woona and Erys. "What kind of magic?" they both asked.  
The two stallions looked at each other then up at the nearest clock. "What else?"

In just a couple of hours, a alert has been put out to all towns in Equestria to keep an eye out for Starlight Sparkle, a fugitive on the run for destroying a museum and injuring the security guards. As she may be making a run to another country, the alert was sent to the other realms on the planet.  
Celestia has sent Glade to investigate the city of Baltimare, not only to see if Starlight fled that way, but also to investigate the police forces corruption.

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Petrovsky - Mass Effect 3: Omega OST

With the Staff of Jeria in his hands, the pony felt positively giddy. His plan was coming together faster then he had suspected. He thought it would take him longer to get Starlight to leave but, turns out just let Twilight Sparkle raise her and she'll grow up to be naïve and powerful.

Deep within the bowels of his castle, far enough below where nobody can hear it, laid a massive Steampunk-ish machine capable of doing deadly damage to the world. The machine is a massive see-though sphere resting on top of a Tesla Coil. Other coils covered the walls, each pointing at the sphere.  
The Black Pony walked into it's chamber with the staff in his hooves. "it's almost time. "It's almost time." he said as he strode on past it. "almost time for this worlds true destiny to become reality."  
He reached the powered box and opened it. He placed the tip of the staff on it and powered it up.  
The machine powered up and the coils sparked with electricity and raw unbridled power that has not been seen since the worlds creation.

The Black Pony walked back up into his throne room and chuckled. "Just need one more component." he stopped and looked back to a glass casing. A lone Pocket Watch hovered within it.  
He had considered using that to power his machine; the dark knight Tsylatac said he got it off some Time Lord, but he doubts it's viability. Besides, he had another power source in mind, one that is currently on her way to his castle, whether she knows it or not.  
"run, run, run as fast as you can, Starlight. I've waited 17 years." he sat down on his throne and the screens appeared, show casing her flying form. "I can wait a few more weeks."

End Song.

Starlight flew up and landed on a outcropping. She looked back at Ponyville and sighed. She may have written that letter and ran away 12 hours ago, but she spent half of that crying in a cave and sleeping. After 8 hours, she woke up and headed north. She bypassed Canterlot completely, using her magic to deliver a letter to her grandparents house, explaining what she's doing. After that, she flew to a mountain not far from Canterlot, where we are now coming in.  
"Mom… Goldie… I'm sorry…" she said with a hoarse voice. "but… I just have to know why I am who I am. And who my father is." she looked at her Cutie Mark and sighed. "I need answers to my questions." looking back on it, she shouldn't have put that 'forever' line in her letter, but she was overcome with emotion and wasn't thinking clearly. "and… if you turn out to not be my real family… know that I still love you… and I'm sorry for harming Ha… for harming Dad."  
She raised her head and looked out at the country side. She had the entire world to cover and this search might take her her whole life. But, something inside her is telling her to head north. "only city in that direction is Baltimare and a couple of ports. Maybe he lives there. If not, I can still get clues."

Begin Song: watch?v=7bCKBHvpNSg Journey to the Past - Anastasia OST

A breeze flew by her, carrying the scent of lilacs on it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "someone somewhere must know the answers I need. And no matter what, I will find them." she softly said to herself. She looked up at the sun, feeling empowered.

Starlight:  
**_ Heart don't fail me now,_**  
**_Courage don't desert me,_**  
**_Don't turn back now that we're here. _**  
Starlight closed her eyes and let the breeze flow though her hair.  
_** People always say**_  
_**Life is full of choices,**_  
_**No one ever mentions fear. **_  
She looked back to Ponyville and Canterlot, certain that this was the right decision.  
_** Or how the world can seem so vast,**_  
_**On a Journey-to the past. **_

Starlight used her magic to pull out a winter coat and covered her wings. At least, people will think she's a overgrown Unicorn. Hopefully.  
She took a hesitant step and started down the mountain.

Starlight:  
**_ Somewhere down this road,_**  
**_I know someone's waiting._**  
**_Years of dreams just can't be wrong! _**  
Starlight crossed across a fallen log over a raging river, and later again across a ravine. She almost lost her balance on the ravine log but kept going.  
**_ Arms will open wide,_**  
**_I'll be safe and wanted,_**  
**_Fin'lly home where I belong. _**  
Starlight ran up a hill with the wind behind her. She looked down to see a river with a port.  
**_ Well, starting now, I'm learning fast,_**  
**_On this journey-to the past. _**

Starlight closed her eyes and thought about her friends and family. She left them behind for her own selfish desire. Hopefully, they know that she didn't leave them carelessly. She just needs answers to questions that she's been asking herself since she was born.

Starlight:  
**_ Home, love, family._**  
**_There was once a time, I must have had them too. _**  
She opened her eyes.  
_** Home, love, family.**_  
_**I will never be complete**_  
_**Until I find you... **_

With determination and sorrow, she headed down.

Starlight:  
**_ One step at a time,_**  
**_One hope, then another._**  
**_Who nows where this road may go- _**  
A ship broke water as it sailed over the water. It's passengers, including one overly-big Unicorn, watched the water that moved aside.  
**_ Back to who I was,_**  
**_On to find my future,_**  
**_Things my heart still needs to know. _**  
Starlight ran up to the bow of the ship and ran up to the foresail.  
_** Yes, let this be a sign!**_  
_**Let this road be mine,**_  
_**Let it lead me to my past, **_  
She held her heart as the sun began to set in front of them.  
**_ And bring me home..._**  
**_At last! _**

The ship sailed into the sunset, both it and it's passenger unaware that this journey to find answers will lead to a battle to save the world.  
With Starlight caught in the middle.

End Song.


	9. Dark Plans Revealed

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 8

Dark Plans Revealed

50 years.  
It took 50 years to get his plan together, to get the pieces into place. and now, it was coming true. Setbacks after Setbacks, failure after failure, and his children. Gah, they all turned out to be failures that he's personally ashamed of.  
It seemed like so long ago that his plan started to come together. Hard to believe it was only 18 years. He knows cause that was the same time THEY had appeared. The knight and the 8-headed dragon.

18 years earlier…

The Black Pony yelled as yet another plan was foiled. "AH!" he used his magic to destroy half the audience hall. "NO, NO, NO!" another blast destroyed the rest of it. "This isn't how it was supposed to work!" he stormed off as the screen played Trixie casting the spell that turned everyone human.  
"Argh! I hate that Unicorn!" he bucked his throne into a wall, causing the screens to shatter.  
He used his magic to destroy another wall, this one having dozens of pictures on it, including Derpy, Trixie, Rainbow Dash, Octavia, Lyra, and even Chrysalis.  
When the dust settled and cleared, the Black Pony was heavily panting. This anger spout really did a number on him. He calmed down and used his magic to repair the damage he had caused. He used his magic to move the pictures back into place.  
A faint chuckle echoed though the hall. The black pony heard it but ignored it. He put the pictures back up on the wall. The chuckle came again, louder this time. He glanced up to the rafters but didn't see anything.  
He walked back to his throne when the chuckling came a third time. He quickly turned and fired up into the rafters, blowing them up.  
"My my… such a temper on you…" a cold female voice said.  
"it's scary. Very scary." a deep male voice added.  
"Who are you? I demand you show yourself!" the Black Pony yelled.  
"Tsk tsk tsk. Temper, temper. One day, that will be the end of you." the black pony heard the sounds of rushing wind and bursting flames behind him. He looked to see a pillar of dark fire appear. The clinking of armor followed as a dark knight walked out of it. "you should really learn to control it."  
"Who in Tartarus are you?" the Black Pony demanded.  
The same rushing wind and bursting flames came behind him. Another person, this one not wearing armor and having VERY weird hair came out. "WE… are the answer to your prayers."  
The Black Pony was unconvinced. "what?"  
"pardon my colleague. He's a bit… stupid." a different voice said out of the same body. "Collective, we are known as Orochi. The armored behemoth behind you is Tsylatac."  
The black pony calmed down and stared at Orochi. "what do you want?"  
"we've been watching you for some time." Aqua said. "you quite powerful and… quite temperamental."  
"is there a reason why you're here?" he asked.  
"Yes, there is, actually." Terra said. The shockwave from Trixie's spell reached his castle and turned the black pony into a human. He expected this coming his way and wasn't surprised when he turned. "and that… isn't one of them."  
"it's nothing. But what do you want?"  
"We have a proposition for you." Tsylatac said as he walked to the pony's throne. "we are… in need of your powers over shadow. It's quite a useful ability that, if used right, can be harnessed."  
The pony scoffed. "thanks, but I got my own agenda."  
"is that so?" the knight sat down in the throne and the screens came on, showing the human-turned ponies walking up and discovering their naked forms. "such as… conquering the planet with a army of your own children. Tell me, how's that working out?"

Begin Song: watch?v=lpqxSW1zF9A The Nightmare - Kingdom Hearts 3D: DreamDropDistance OST

How could he have know that? The pony looked away from him and towards the photos on the wall. "not well…"  
"none of them are turning out like you planned, right? With them not ending up being so dark and evil as you?" Ignis asked.  
The pony stayed quiet for a minute. "just what are you doing here?"  
"We're here on a venture. Someone on this planet is a key we need. Unfortunately, the gods of this world, what you call Zax and Jeria, turned it into a organic mess and is now integrated into the bloodstreams of a number of creatures on this planet, you and your bloodline included." Glacie's little tale got the pony's attention as he slowly looked up. "we require that key to help us with our ultimate goal."  
Ultimate goal? Sounds enticing. "which is… what, exactly?" he asked with curiosity.  
As I am not going to spoil what their ultimate goal is, I will say that it is something of this ponies high evil caliber to be enticed by. Enough to say yes.  
"hmm… that… is ingenious." the pony said. "better then conquering this little mud ball. I'm in."  
"perfect." Fulmen said, all cheerful. "and since you're the newcomer, what plan do you have in mind?"  
The pony thought for a moment and had something but he wasn't sure it would work. The Knight sensed this. "Lady Kyra mentioned that we need a time user, Fulmen. Someone who can pause it, rewind it, more forward. Basically do anything and everything a time user can do."  
"oh, that's right."  
"A time user?" the pony asked.  
"Indeed." Tsylatac pulled out a pocket watch and dangled it in his hands. "I obtained this from a time magician on another world. It has his powers. Unfortunately, we have no clue how to activate it. We only know how to transfer it's powers into another object."  
"what does that have to do with me?"  
Tsylatac chuckled and got up from the throne. "if someone evil and malicious as you obtained the powers of time contained in this vessel, he or she could become a powerful ally."  
"So you want me to impregnate a mare?"  
"Indeed." Lucis said. "And from what we saw…" he summoned up a staff and pointed it up to the screens, pointing it at a human who was once a lavender unicorn. "she is the prime candidate."  
"why not the princess's?"  
"too powerful. They'd see though you in a second."  
"Besides… that Unicorn is set to become a Alicorn, or so we overheard from the princess's. she's powerful and surely her offspring will be powerful."  
Wow. This is quite a bit of a stretch for him. "so… you want me to impregnate this Unicorn with my seed so that her offspring can use power over time which will be given to her by that watch. meanwhile, we work to find a way to obtain the key spread throughout the world that is inside ponies, including me. Is that what I'm getting at?"  
Both the knight and Orochi nodded.  
"hmm… okay. So, what, I should go knock her up now?" he asked, opening his own dark portal.  
"no. wait until she becomes a pony once again then work your magic, so to speak." Tenebrae said.  
"and when she has her child, do not kidnap the kid right away." Ventus said. "We have to wait for her powers to solidify and improve. This process will take a long while and will very likely take a couple decades."  
The pony scoffed. He waited this long to try and conquer Equestria. What's another 20 years? "I can wait. But when should I come 'back'?"  
"We're figure that out when it comes." Tsylatac said.  
"plus… while we're here, we… want to have a little fun." Aqua said.  
"What kind of fun?"  
Orochi, all 8 personalities, chuckled evilly. "You'll see."  
The dark pony turned to leave when Glacies stopped him with a question. "by the way… what's your name?"  
The dark one turned his head to him and smiled.  
"it's Sombra. King Sombra."

The entire following section will be in Sombra's FPS view.

Sombra watched as Twilight, Trixie, and Derpy walking down a street in the Gryphon Kingdom capital, only to find themselves surrounded by several ponies working for a house of ill repute. He ducked back into the alleyway he peaked out of and quickly headed to the other side.  
He saw a lime-green Pegasus walking down the other street, carrying a couple of movies with him. He memorized every part of his body and took his form.

He relocated to the house of ill repute and walked up to where Twilight was taken. The door opened to see a Unicorn at the door and another one down on the floor, chained to it.  
"be careful with her. She's feisty." the Unicorn said.  
Sombra chuckled. "Good. I like Feisty."

Present Day…

Sombra looked over that day and confirmed that he did do everything right.  
"we got the key, I gave them all a show by sending Dark Chrysalis at them… we did everything right. Nothing can go wrong now."

Sombra headed down into another part of the castle's basement and walked into a dark room lit with a green light. The light was coming from the tube in the center with another Alicorn floating in it.  
This one, however, was artificially made and has no feelings except for anger and a lust for destruction.  
"It's been a long road but it's finally coming to pass." he pressed a few buttons on the console connected to the tube. The liquid in it was flushed out in a rapid pace. "you are to accelerate Starlight's journey and make sure she arrives here faster then she planned."  
The liquid was flushed out completely. The tube hissed and it opened. The Alicorn fell out, coughing up the same liquid it was floating in. Sombra placed a green gem around it's neck with his magic.  
"you are to use any means necessary to further her journey. Is that clear…" the pony rose up and opened his eyes. "Chaos Gun?"

Chaos Gun: fs70/f/2012/120/d/a/chaos_gun_by_radioactive_


	10. A Fated Meeting

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 9

Fated Meeting

The Phoenix Zel hovered down from above and grabbed a apple with his claws. He had to be careful to make he didn't alert the stall owner to it's thievery, or get the attention of the guards.  
Bass watched from on top of a roof, his eyes and mane being the only visible things over the side. "come on, come on, come on." he whispered.  
Zel looked up. The guards were busy beating up a lowly thief who stole a slice of meat from a butcher a few streets up and it drew quite a crowd, including the owner of the stall he was stealing from.  
"Careful. Careful. Careful…"  
Just 1 second more… careful… he latched on and grabbed it. Both Zel and Bass breathed a sigh of relief. Zel flapped his wings and flew away before the stall owner turned back to his stall. He felt something was missing but couldn't figure what.  
Zel flew to the top of the building Bass was on and passed the apple to Bass. "haha. Nice one, Zel." he plopped it in his mouth and bit down, biting the entire thing in half. "now…" he tossed one of the halves to the bird. "we feast." he bit into his and slowly chewed, as did the Phoenix.

A long carriage from the port 5 miles away rolled into town and stopped at the Equestrian version of a bus stop.  
The doors opened and it's passengers disembarked, including one pink oversized Unicorn. The sunlight hit her eyes, making her cover them until they adjusted. She removed her hoof to see the city before her.  
"So this is Baltimare." Starlight said. "nice place, if a bit on the dirty side."  
Starlight took a deep breath, snorting in the smoky air. She gagged and coughed like she was hacking a lung. "agh. Dang. smoky. *cough cough* hmm… not like Ponyville…" she coughed again and cleared her throat, causing a couple of ponies to look at her funny. She noticed them looking and thought they were natives. "Swallowed a fly." she told them.  
She finished hacking and headed for town, feeling a little bit embarrassed.

Bass chuckled as he strode on over the rooftops, hopping over the gaps with limited ease. He had the apple spinning in his front-right hoof.  
"This is probably the best day I've ever had." he chuckled. He took a bite out of it with a smile.  
He hopped onto another rooftop and headed for the carriage stop. He was always eager to see the new arrivals, before the local police force got to them and took ever cent they have. They all appear to have come from a far off city, where they didn't hear about Baltimare's corrupt police force. He's surprised that nobody has sent word to Celestia yet. Maybe that's due to them controlling the mail.  
He spotted a anomaly among the crowd, a over-sized pink Unicorn with a horn longer then normal. If he didn't know better, he swears that she looks like a Alicorn, but without the wings. And he wasn't the only one who noticed. The police went to work to take every cent they owned.  
"*sigh* if only I was a Unicorn or a Pegasus. Then I could do something about this." he muttered to himself.

Starlight walked with the rest of the ponies towards the gate of town. They were cut off by a gate that lowered in front of them. She, along with everyone else, was confused.  
The captain of the police force, a blue Unicorn, appeared in front of them. "welcome, weary travelers, to Baltimare." he announced. The crowd was confused as to why he had to do this. "I am the mayor of this fair city as well as the captain of it's police force." he used his magic to summon up a bin. "please, for your safety and the safety of your possessions, place all your items in this bin. They will be safe and cared for during your stay. Thank you, and have a nice day."  
The police force put the crowd into a line that lead to the bin. Starlight was far back in the line and would take her a few minutes to get there. While in the line, a few questions entered Starlight's head about this.  
Why would they need to keep an eye on their stuff? Baltimare had a low crime rate thanks to the police force's cold efficiency. It made no sense. And why would they put it into a bin in to the first place? Shouldn't they be taking care of them personally? Something smelled wrong about this whole thing. She may be naïve but her gut was telling her not to trust them. And her gut was never wrong.  
When it came time to put her stuff in the bin, she hesitated, not because she didn't trust them, but because her saddlebags were the only things keeping her wings hidden.  
"Saddlebags, please." the cop in charge asked. Starlight didn't comply. The cop got forceful. "Saddlebags, please!" she still didn't comply. Her little act of defiance got Bass' attention.  
"Sir!' the cop called out. The leader looked over and angrily frowned when he said the pink Unicorn resisting to follow protocol. He walked over and immediately looked to Starlight. "this Unicorn is refusing to hand her items over."  
"Sorry, but I don't see a reason to do so when there is barely any crime in Baltimare." Starlight said.  
"just put the items in the bin." the captain insinuated, holding it up to her face with his magic.  
"not without a good reason."  
The captain and the cop glanced at each other and nodded. He set the bin down. "Well, guess we're gonna have to force you." he whistled sharply into the air. Suddenly, more cops appeared via magic. They were all Unicorns. "I won't repeat myself. Hand over your items."  
Why is he so focused on her items? On everyone's items? Just what is going on here? Before the cop leader can make a move, a pebble hit him in the head.  
"HEY!" the captain and everyone else looked up to see a sky-blue Earth Pony standing there, bouncing a pebble in his hooves. "why don't you tell them what's really going on? Why you're stealing their items so you can sell them for profit? And how you will steal ever bit they have?"  
The crowd angrily looked to the captain, Starlight excluded. The captain nervously looked to his lieutenant. "deal with this." he said before he disappeared.  
The crowd angrily yelled at the cops, demanding their stuff back and a explanation. The cops response, however, was with violence as they used their magic to incapacitate them. Those not even involved were stuck by magic blasts and incapacitated as well with chains or cement.  
Not wanting to get caught up in any of this, Starlight ran for the nearest alley. One of the cops noticed her running and went after her.

Bass saw the pink Unicorn run into the alley. Not wanting her to get caught by that cop, he ran along the rooftops after her.

Starlight ran as fast as she could, not wanting to get arrested for doing nothing, or to lose her possessions. The cop rounded the corner and fired a magic blast at her. It missed, hitting and encasing a rat in cement.  
Starlight skidded, nearly hitting a garbage pail, and continued running. The cop wasn't so lucky and crashed into it.  
Starlight rounded one last corner to find herself face to face with a dead end. "Oh, sassafras."  
The cop ran into view and pointed his horn at her. "surrender!" he ordered. Starlight wasn't eager to do so. She backed herself into a corner and gulped in fear.  
A rope ladder suddenly came down in front of her. "Climb up! Quickly!" the blue pony from before said. Rather then take her chances with this cop, she quickly climbed up the ladder.  
The cop ran over and climbed up after her. Starlight was better because she spent the better part of her childhood climbing all sorts of things. She quickly reached the top before the cop passed the first window.  
The blue pony casually kicked the ladder off. It and the cop fell into a garbage tin. It closed on him. A grumbling moan came from it, which was music to the blue ponie' ears.  
"Take that, Coppa!" he said with a Brooklyn accent.  
He turned and walked off with a smile on his face. Starlight looked down to see the lids trying to get off the dumpster. She looked back to the blue pony, who was a bit of a ways away.  
"(I should thank him.)" she thought. Starlight ran after him, figuring that this guy was a nice pony. Plus, if what he said back there was true, then better him then the cops.

The captain reappeared back where they were gathering up everyone's items. Everyone there was wrapped in chains or encased in cement. His lieutenant walked up to him to give his report.  
"we captured everyone involved in the scuffle but that pink Unicorn is unaccounted for. It stands to reason that she escaped."  
The captain angrily looked at him, ready to hit him, but then he remembered what she looked like. "it doesn't matter." he said after calming down. "she's a oversized Unicorn. She'll be easy to find." he turned and walked back to the city. "you know what to do with them." he told his lieutenant.  
He bowed to the captain and returned his attention to the prisoners.

Starlight sat on the edge of a building, not sure what to do here. The blue pony sat down next to her and offered her a cotton candy. "here. It's blueberry." he said.  
Starlight used her magic to pull it over. "thanks." she took a bite out of it. It did taste like Blueberry. "thanks, Mr…"  
"call me Bass." he wiped his mouth of the cotton. "Bass Clef. And you?"  
Starlight was hesitant. She didn't know this pony, and if he found out that she's a run-away Alicorn, he might turn her in to Canterlot authority. Of course, she doubts that word made it this far. She left long before they found out so she had a head start. And, this pony didn't seem like a bad man. He saved her from the police and all.  
"Starlight. My name is Starlight."  
"Starlight, huh? That's a nice name." Bass sat back and bit into his candy.  
The first question on Starlight's mind is one I'm sure everyone is wondering. "those things you said back there to those cops. Was it all true?"  
"every word." he said, non-hesitant. "in the past few years, they grew corrupt, putting personal need above keeping the peace. And we haven't been able to contact Canterlot to do something about it because they're monitoring everything and if we mention anything about their corruption, they're gonna get taken to prison."  
"that's horrible!"  
"yeah. It is." he said in a somber tone. Starlight looked into his eyes. They were eyes filled with lament. He had to do something horrible.  
"and thanks to them being all greedy, the city became one big slum with orphans all over the place. Me and my friends took them in." he pointed to a tower in the south end. "see that bell tower? We live in there. It's been broken for decades and nobodies tried to fix it. It's the perfect hiding place."  
"oh. Well, that's nice." Starlight said.  
They both took a bite of their treat and silence fell on them for a moment, at least until Bass asked, "So, what brings you to the armpit of Equestria?"  
Armpit? Well, that's pleasant. "well… actually… I'm passing though."  
"passing though?"  
Starlight slowly nodded. "I… just learned that my father wasn't my real father. I ran away from home to try and find him. Unfortunately, I don't know where to start looking and I have no experience with the outside world."  
"you don't?"  
"no. my mom, who I think is my real mom, is overly protective. She made me stay to Ponyville and Canterlot. When she and 'Dad' left on a trip, they usually left me with friends or relatives."  
"well, your instants served you well here. You knew something was bad with the cops."  
Starlight lightly chuckled. "yeah. That's one thing that has never steered me wrong."  
"Good. In this town, instants is what you're gonna have to go with." a pregnant pause hit them both. "do you know where to find your dad?"  
Starlight shook her head. "no. I have no clue. But my gut told me to head north. Which is when we met." she sighed as she fell back. "I have no clue where to start looking."  
Bass felt slightly sympathetic. He never knew his real dad. He left when he was 3 and he never saw him since. Just then, he remembered something that could prove useful. "hey. I got an idea."  
"An idea?" that got her attention. She sat up. "what idea?"  
"I heard that a powerful sage, a Necromancer, lives far to the north, inside a castle in a field of green, which is weird considering that's the arctic." Starlight shrugged in agreement. "but… he's never gone back on his word, or so I heard. He could help you find your dad."  
That news filled Starlight with hope. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." she suddenly hugged him, surprising him and her. She quickly broke it with a blush. "un… sorry."  
"un…" Bass shook his head. "it's okay." he flipped back and spun up. "well, I think we should held for home. It's gonna get dark soon and the cops are worse after dark."  
"okay." Starlight agreed. She got up and followed him to the tower.

When Bass introduced Starlight to his friends, they were ecstatic to have someone new, and from Ponyville, no less. They've never been to Ponyville before and were eager to hear what it's like. Starlight explained it as best she could but they loved it anyway. They want to leave Baltimare so much but they're too broke to leave.  
When Bass told them what Starlight's plans are, they wished her good luck. They couldn't leave to help her. Who would take care of the orphans? Starlight didn't want their help. She had her destination and she doesn't want to put them in harms way.  
Besides… she just wants to be alone.

Night quickly fell onto Baltimare and everyone had gone to sleep. Starlight looked out at the city from the bell tower and sighed. She made it all this way here to find her father… and she feels horrible. She misses her friends and family so much, it hurts. She used her magic to pull out a picture from her saddlebags.  
The picture was her as a foal with her mom, her 'dad, and her newborn sister Goldie. It was the day she was brought home from the hospital, which Starlight considered the best day of her life. She had something she could connect too. She loved her friends, but she felt like they just liked her because they were afraid of her and her powers.  
"Mom… Goldie…" she placed her left hoof on the picture. Tears fell onto the glass and slid down. "I miss you so much…" she silently cried. She didn't want to wake the others up.

Bass, hearing her crying, looked up at her from her bed. He had a feeling that she was making a bad choice. She had a loving mother and a father who raised her, regardless of them not being blood. If only he had that blessing.  
'(someone is going to be passing though Baltimare pretty soon. Someone very important. Someone who some may consider to be a abomination. Protect her.)'  
That voice echoed though his mind ever since that day. "(Someone very important? And the voice said her.)" Bass looked back up to her. "(is this Mare the one who that voice wants me to protect?)" he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. "(what's so special about her?)"


	11. Gonna Get Starlight Back

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 10

Gonna Get Starlight Back

After a pleasant nights sleep which she sorely missed, Starlight woke up and opened her eyes to see a 7-year old Diamond Dog standing over her, looking into her eyes.  
"YEOW!" Starlight exclaimed, reacting as if she saw something scary.  
"hi there." the kid said as cheerful as ever.  
Starlight took a deep breath and calmed down. "Sorry. I never met a Diamond Dog before. And my aunt Rarity didn't play you guys as the… emm…. Most charming of species."  
The kid didn't hear her. He had something else on his mind. "Come on. Bass wants to speak to you." she grabbed and slid down a rope.  
Starlight watched her zip down. "Bass?" she wondered. She thought for a moment, trying to place the name to the face and body. "Oh, that pony that saved me yesterday." she headed on down, using her magic to levitate. "why does he want to see me?"  
She reached the bottom to see Bass talking to his more mature friends. She remembers them as the gryphon Meryl and the dragon Cliff, as well as another Gryphon. Once she touched down, she got the attention of Bass. "Ah. Starlight. Good. Listen… we need your help with something."  
"help?" Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of help?"  
"well…" Bass paused, not sure how to word this.  
"we're stealing something." the other Gryphon said up front.  
"Rita!"  
"Steal!?" Starlight exclaimed. "no no no. I am not going to help you steal."  
Bass angrily looked at the gryphon and smacked her upside the head. "Starlight, what you don't know is that everyone in this city is forced to steal. That's what the city has come to now."  
Starlight stuck to her word. "I'm still not going to help you steal! It's illegal."  
Bass turned to his friends and shrugged. "listen, Star. Everyone here is very hungry and at the prices the merchants are selling their products, we can't buy anything." Starlight didn't want to hear a part of it. "Starlight… think of the kids. You want them to go hungry?"  
Starlight hasn't considered that. She looked back to the kids. Most of them were playing, some were still asleep. And a couple of them, including the Diamond Dog from before, were giving her puppy-dog eyes. She doesn't want them to go hungry. And that Diamond Dog reminded her of Goldie. She sighed as she gave in.  
"Fine. I'll help. But only for today."  
"Great!" Bass said. "you'll come with me. Gotta see how well you can work."  
Star shrugged. Doesn't matter one way or the other. She's still going to help. She deeply sighed as she sat back on a chair. "(Mom would kill me if she found out I was going to steal.)" she looked up to the sky though the bell towers top. "(I wonder what she and Goldie are doing now?)"

Ever since Starlight left, Twilight has never gotten out of bed. She was crying non-stop on the first day she was gone and quickly fell into a depression. Starlight left before they had a chance to make up for what happened that night and that note, saying all of that stuff; why can she use time? Is Twilight really her mother? Why was she born? Those kinds of questions would make any mother worried and scared.  
Goldie couldn't stand to see her mother like this. It was heart-breaking. Hoping to break her mother out of her rut, she headed over to her. "Mom?" Twilight didn't reply. Goldie sighed and scratched her neck.  
"Mom… it's been 3 days. Don't you think you should get out of that bed? Mopping around isn't going to bring Starlight back. You know that, right?" Twilight rolled away from her daughter. She just wants to be alone. "Mom… please…"  
Twilight didn't answer, leaving Goldie to sigh. She gave up and walked back to the door.  
"Well, I gave it my best." Goldie said to her family who were down in the main room. "she's just… given up."  
Halo, who had bandages on his chest, depressingly sighed. He doesn't blame her for being all depressed. He read the letter Starlight left behind when she ran away and felt as bad as Twi.  
"*sigh* poor Twilight." Trixie said. She was feeling loads better so she came with Luna to Ponyville. That doesn't mean she escaped the flu entirely. "I can only imagine what she's going though." everyone begrudgingly nodded and agreed with her. None of them have had something like this happen to them.  
Goldie whimpered and closed her eyes. She felt like this was just some horrible dream she couldn't wake up from. Cadence saw her lightly cry and felt bad for her. Her sister ran away, her dad is injured, and her mother is in a deep depression. This would make any kid feel bad. "are you okay, Goldie?" she asked.  
"no." she sniffled. "no I'm not."  
Luna sighed. Only thing that remotely comes close to what they are all feeling is thinking Trixie didn't love her back when they were dating. She didn't want Goldie to feel depressed like Twilight. "Marian. Woona. Think you can take Goldie outside? We have some things we need to talk about in private."  
The two nodded and headed over to the filly. "You want to play Hide-and-Seek, Goldie? We can get the others and have them play."  
Goldie sniffled and wiped her eyes. "o-okay." she hoarsely said. Marian put the depressed Filly on her back and headed on out with Woona, Peppy, Filigree, and Fire Ruby not far behind.  
Goldie sniffled and wiped her eyes again. She looked up to the sky and shakingly sighed. "Sis… I can only imagine what horrors you're going though right now."

"I don't know about this." Starlight nervously said.  
She and Bass were relocated to the south end of the city. It was the lightest in terms of crowds so Starlight won't feel bad for stealing.  
"Come on, Star. This is going to be easy." the pony said with a snicker.  
"Bass…"  
The pony jumped onto a box. "come on. What's the worse that can happen? Also, remember that everyone in this city is broke and are forced to steal. Well, everyone except the cops and the merchants, as well as a couple rich folks."  
Starlight looked down at the markets and still wasn't sure. But she was doing this for the kids Bass and the others were caring for. She was still hesitant, but, "So… how do we begin?"  
Bass chuckled. "with a very… elaborate distraction."

Starlight's picture appeared on a blackboard inside Canterlot Guard HQ in Canterlot. "This… is our target. Starlight Sparkle." Glade said to his division. His troops looked at the picture oddly. She looks a lot like a Alicorn. "she is very dangerous."  
One of the guards raised her hooves. "un, sir. I think I remember her from the Grand Galloping Gala last year."  
Glade sighed. He hoped nobody would remember. "yeah. Um… Starlight Sparkle is my cousin. But that doesn't excuse her crimes."  
"Crimes? What crimes?" another soldier asked.  
Glade used his magic to make a magic screen appear with events of what had lead up to this playing. "Starlight Sparkle is guilty of attacking and destroying the Canterlot Museum, injuring the guards, and stealing valuable objects." one guard raised his hand but Glade knew what he was going to ask. "and if she turns out to be the unfortunate victim of circumstance, she's still guilty of assaulting her father, Halo's Light, and running away."  
"um… how is running away a crime?" a very stupid guard asked.  
Glade looked at him wondering 'was he serious?' "Well, Starlight is a Alicorn, and as a Alicorn, she is very powerful. Add that Starlight has a power Nopony on Equestria has ever SEEN before and she's basically a walking magic bomb."  
The screen went away. Glade sighed as he leaned back on his desk. "I won't lie to you all. I never thought I would go after a member of my family. This… is very hard on me." he steeled himself and looked up at them sternly. "so do not be shocked if I falter in my duty. Got that?"  
The 7 ponies that comprised his small but reliable squad all stiffened and saluted. "Yes, Sir!"  
Glade confidently nodded and stood up straight. "good. Now. Princess Celestia is sending us to Baltimare, not just to look for Starlight, but to investigate the cities police force. Apparently, the captain has taken a dictator rule and put the city under his rule."  
"how do you know that?"  
"a couple of ponies informed us about this a few weeks ago. Apparently, the captain's got the city on lock-down and barely anyone is allowed to leave for fear they'll tell someone." he used his magic to grab his captain's medal and placed it on his armor's chest. "but when we arrive, we won't let on we were sent by Celestia. We'll get him to confess to his crimes. Is that understood?"  
The ponies saluted him again. "Sir! Yes, Sir!"  
Glade nodded to them. "good. Now let's move out!"

All her friends were playing and having fun but Goldie didn't want anything to do with it. She was just as depressed as her mother. Her friends sensed this but didn't know what to do. Nobody in their family ever ran away. Well, Dinky did but she left with Daring so Derpy knows where she is. Starlight just up and left without even saying goodbye.  
"Are you okay, Goldie?" Fire Ruby asked as she sat down next to her.  
The filly shook her head 'no'. "No, I'm not Ruby. My sister is gone, my mom has never left her bed, my dad is injured. My entire family is falling apart and I don't know what to do. I just want things to go back to the way they were."  
Her friends all looked to each other, not sure what to tell her. Even Cotton had nothing and she's usually the most cheerful one.  
Well, Soarin' had an idea but he wasn't sure if they were going to like it. "well… there is one thing we can do. But I'm not sure if you'll all like it."  
Goldie didn't care. Her family was falling apart so what's the worst that could happen now? "what?" she asked.  
"Yeah. What?" the rest asked.

A Diamond Dog picked up a apple and sniffed it. It smelled ripe but…  
"AHH!"  
Somepony fell into a pyramid of boxes, causing them to break apart and splinter. The Diamond Dog, along with a bunch of other shoppers and merchants, went on over to see what was going on.  
Turns out a oversized pink Unicorn had tripped while training with her magic and fell into the boxes.  
Starlight hates doing this to these people but she promised Bass she'd help. Plus, she knew how to sell pain. She didn't spend a majority of middle school in acting class for nothing.  
"Ah. Oh. Ow! Oh, this hurts!" then she started to ham it on. "Oh Pain. Oh Agonyyyyyy!"  
With this clever and ham-filled distraction, Bass, Rita, Cliff, and Meryl snuck to the merchant stalls and began filling up a bag with all the goodies they could pilfer.  
Starlight kept on acting, pretending to be badly wounded. "Oh. Oh no! oh, I see the light." she pretended to lose her breath at the 'sight'. "Grandmama? Is that you?" she shook her head. "Mr. Sanchez? What are you doing here? You weren't a wonderful person."  
"oh, you poor creature." a fellow thespian said, feeling sympathetic. "Someone, call 9-1-1." Starlight gagged and pretended to pass out.  
With their stealing done, Rita and Meryl carried the heavy bag of food away. Cliff ran down the street as Bass slowly back away. He looked to Starlight and did a sigh, telling her to stop. Starlight, who had her eyes cracked open, saw it.  
She instantly got better and ran away. "Well, thank you so much for your time. You've all been a wonderful audience." Bass ran away from the area as Starlight ran up to catch him. "Hope you enjoyed the show." Starlight said as she disappeared.  
It didn't take long for them all to realize they have just been duped.

The group of 5 laughed as they walked into the tower.  
"Oh, that was perfect!" Meryl laughed. She mimicked Starlight's voice for a moment, "Oh Pain. Oh Agonyyyy!"  
Starlight laughed, then calmed down. "thank 3 years of acting classes for that."  
"We will." a calmed down Bass said. They set the bag down and it opened by itself, revealing their trove. "we scored big. I think we have enough to last a couple days." he looked to the Unicorn. "not bad, Star. Very good acting. Almost as good as Maera Faucett."  
Her face blushed at the compliment. Maera was very cute, in male's eyes. "it was nothing."  
The dragon, Cliff, grabbed a orange and peeled it. "say, Star. I've been meaning to ask; what kind of Cutie Mark is that?"  
Starlight paused for a moment. She knew that someone she met would ask her about her Cutie Mark and she prepared a story for it, but she still wasn't prepared for the full question. "um… my parents worked in a clock shop. In fact, I was planning to take over the family business when I found out… what I found out."  
"oh." Bass grabbed a banana and tossed it to her. Starlight caught it with her magic and magically peeled it. She put it her mouth when, "so why are you bigger then a average Unicorn?"  
Starlight chocked on her banana and coughed. "w-why do you ask?"  
"just curious."  
Starlight quickly thought of a story to tell them. "w-w-well, I had a… a growth spurt that… didn't really stop."  
"oh." Bass said.  
Starlight was glad to put that behind them and went to take a bite of her banana again when Rita asked, "why are you still wearing those saddle-bags?" she walked over to take them off. "Don't you think you should take them off?"  
"NO!" Starlight burst out, surprising the 4 of them. Her cutie mark lightly glowed, getting Bass' attention. Starlight calmed down and cleared her throat. "un… no. these are the only reminder I have of my life back home. I could never part with these, even for a day."  
Rita felt like a idiot. "oh. Sorry. I didn't know."  
Starlight sighed. "It-it's okay. I'm just… stressing out right now."  
The group of 4 looked at each other for a moment, feeling sorry for the girl. "why don't you go and get some sleep?" Bass suggested. "it's gonna be awhile till the kids all come back and make a lot of noise. You'll have some time to get a nap in."  
Starlight nodded. That sounded like a good idea. She used her magic to levitate and head up to her 'bed'.  
His friends may have bought that growth spurt and cutie mark story but Bass knew something was off and he believes he figured it out. "(she's a Alicorn.)" he concluded. "(but she's trying to hide it. But why?)"

The next day came as it did before to Twilight; painful. Her heart was still aching at her daughter's sudden departure. One of the things she didn't take was a ring Twilight gave her when she was little. A ring which Twilight was holding tight.  
Suddenly, without warning, a letter magically appeared in front of her, much to her surprise. For the first time in 5 days, she sat up and read it over. Her eyes went wide and she neared the end.  
"HALO!" she yelled out.  
He ran in almost immediately. "what? What is it?" she quickly passed the letter to her husband, who quickly read it. "oh, my…" he and Twi looked at each other with very worried expressions.  
The door burst open and Rainbow Dash came flying in. she saw the letter and concluded they got the same thing. "did you read this?" she asked, holding hers up.  
"Yes." a worried Twilight said. "I just hope they don't do anything stupid."

The letter, which was sent to every one of their parents, all read the same thing.

'dear Mom's and Dad's  
Sorry for the sudden departure and the abruptness of this letter but we had no other idea of what to do. We all talked it over and, after much debate, we decided to go and get Starlight back.  
It wasn't just Twilight who was feeling miserable since her departure, it was all of us too; you all included. She was our friend and we at least deserve a chance to get her back.  
We're gonna follow Glade's route and head to Baltimare first. We're also going to try and convince Glade that Starlight didn't destroy that museum but since he's so stubborn, it may not work. Still, can't hurt to try, right?  
"again, we are very, very, very sorry for the departure. We just had no other idea. We'll keep up letters regularly with Filigree's little insta-letter that she got from her father.  
You'll be in the fore-front of our thoughts and our hearts. And please forgive us for what we did.

With love from all our hearts,  
Marian, Woona, Goldie, Filigree, Fire Ruby, Windancer, Electronic Symphony, Golden Day, Season's Edge, Cotton Candy, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Soarin' Cloud, Eris Shine, Sweet Song, and Peppy.'


	12. What goes around

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 11

What Goes Around…

Starlight tapped her hoof on the windowsill. She was having trouble on what to do next. She had spent a better part of 4 days in Baltimare, looking up any information of what lies to the north. None of it was pretty.  
Miles of snow and ice separate Baltimare from the north pole and each area is worse then the last. Giant worms, raging blizzards, and even Windigoes call that area home.  
To anyone, even the mention of Windigoes would send someone back home with their tail between their legs. But not Starlight. She is going to find out the answers to the questions that pledged her her entire life even if it kills her. There must've been reasons behind all those things; why she's a Alicorn and has power over time.  
She was so focused, she didn't notice Bass standing behind her until he asked, "so, you are still intent on going?"  
Starlight lightly jumped in her skin but calmed down when she saw who it was. "yeah, I am Bass. I just… I need to know the answers to my questions."  
Questions? She never mentioned about that before. "What questions?" he asked as he sat down. "I thought you just wanted to know who your dad is."  
"I do but… there are more."  
"like what?"  
Starlight didn't want to talk to her about it. During her stay, she grew to trust Bass and his friends but she didn't want to tell him anything about this. "Sorry, Bass, but… I want to keep it a secret. They are… personal questions I just need answered." she glanced back to him with woe-some eyes. "can you understand?"  
Like she even had to ask? He may be a thief but he's not a heartless wreck. "of course I can. I got a few of my own that I never told anyone."  
Starlight couldn't tell if he was being sincere or a joker. Either way, that was all she needed to trust him now. "Thanks, Bass."  
Bass chuckled with a smile. Starlight used her magic to put the map she had out in her saddlebags and got up. "Come on. We got to 'inaugurate' our newest 'member'."  
"inaugurate?" Starlight asked in confusion. He didn't mention that when he met her.  
"yeah. It's just the same thing we did with you, show a new guy who's in the same predicament as us how we work."  
"why didn't you just say that?" she asked as they started for the exit.  
"didn't you hear it? It was a mouth full. And my mouth hurt from that." Starlight lightly laughed. Bass soon joined her.

The latest carriage from the port arrived at Baltimare. The only passengers this time around hailed all the way from Canterlot, and they were here on a hunt. Glade was the first one off. His subordinates followed off one by one.  
Being as greedy as they are, the cops went to do their thing, not caring that they were wearing armor. The gate closed, the bin appeared, and the cop captain make his bogus speech again.  
"Welcome… to Baltimare. For your own safety, please place all of your possessions into the bin. Thank you and-"  
"hold it." Glade said. The captain angrily frowned. "why should we place our items into here? From our understanding, Baltimare is one of the safest cities in Equestria."  
Something was wrong. It's like he knew, the cop was certain of it. His eyes flashed a hint of green. "well, there has been an… influx of thievery in the city and we're looking out for your items safety."  
"so you say."  
The captain is now starting to get angry. "Just who are you?"  
He really didn't know. What an idiot. "My name… is Captain Glade Yggdrasill, song of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Duke Shining Armor. And I am here on business."  
A captain? As in a captain of Celestia's royal guard? And he's the son of a princess? That's very bad news to him. He hid his shock from the captain as well as he could. "oh… um… for what purpose are you here?"  
Glade turned to one of his troops and gestured her to walk to him. The subordinate nodded and headed over to the cop. She handed it to the cop, who unfurled it and looked at the picture. He was surprised to see the pink Unicorn from 4 days ago on it, but with wings.  
"We are tracking down a fugitive on the run." Glade explained. "Her name is Starlight Sparkle and she is extremely powerful and incredibly dangerous."  
The cop chuckled as he rolled it up. There may be a way he can use this Glade to get rid of a thorn in his side. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but she's long gone."  
"What?"  
"Starlight, was it? She was here 4 days ago. We were about to apprehend her when a local thief accosted her."  
"a thief?"  
"indeed. A very nasty one named Bass Clef. He's quite sadistic and could be doing some very horrible things to her. Ah, I can only imagine what horrors he's doing to her."  
Glade hadn't considered that Starlight could be kidnapped during her escape. That doesn't excuse the fact that she broke into and destroyed the Canterlot museum. "regardless, we have to find her. She could destroy the entire city, if she could."  
The cop shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

The newest member of their gang, a 9-year old Dragon, gulped in fear. She, Bass, Rita, Cliff, Meryl, and Starlight looked at the main markets from a bench. They need to the distract the Friday crowd, which was easier said then done.  
"I… I don't know if I can do this." the dragon gulped.  
"Same here." Starlight said. "I only did it once and I know that it was to help the kids but it still left a rotten taste in my mouth."  
Rita and Cliff looked at each other and chuckled. Rita jumped onto a box and flicked her claw under her nose.

Begin Song: watch?v=L_hFR54R19U Streets of Gold - Oliver & Company Soundtrack

Music suddenly began to play out of a portable stereo. The dragon looked around to find to find it.  
Starlight's face adopted a puzzled look. "you've got to be kidding me."  
Rita shook her booty as the music took her over.

Rita:  
"We got to clean you up child, and get you some on the job training."  
oooh, yeah.  
Now listen up.  
You've got a lot to learn.  
And if you don't learn, you don't eat.  
Rita's little distraction was getting a crowd so it was working, which Starlight couldn't believe.  
But if you're tough  
And always use your head,  
You'll be right at home on the street.  
Starlight and the dragon tapped their feet to the beat. It was surprisingly catchy.  
When you've got talent, everything is free.  
Watch how we do things. Ooh, I guarantee.  
Meryl joined her sister up on the box and the two sang a duet.  
Your gonna see how the best survive.  
We make an art out of staying alive.  
And if you do just as you're told.  
These are Streets of Gold  
Making use of this concert, the other kids swept though the markets, taking what food they could.  
Every Boulevard is a miracle mile  
You'll take the town and you'll take it with style  
And if you play it brave and bold  
These are Streets of Gold

Bass did a really stupid dance that couldn't help but make Starlight chuckle. He grabbed her hoof and pulled her over. She was very surprised by it but quickly adapted. The two danced a fast-paced dance perfect to this song. Starlight lightly used her magic to keep her saddle-bags from flying.

Meryl:  
"Listen hear, honey."  
To live from week to week  
You need Technique  
So you practice everyday.  
Cliff lead the dragon though the stalls, showing him the techniques they used to pilfer the food they take.  
The only rule is 'thou shalt not get caught.'  
Get what you can and get away.  
While dancing, Starlight saw something that surprised her.  
Remember all the ways that you can hide  
Remember we are always on your side.  
She saw Cliff giving some of the food they pilfered to poor families worse off then her new friends. She never saw that part of their 'operation' before and found it nice.  
Your gonna see how the best survive.  
We make an art out of staying alive.  
And if you do just as you're told.  
These are Streets of Gold  
Rita pulled Starlight away from Bass and pulled her onto the box. She passed the al- unicorn a mike, which she declined. "Come on." Meryl insisted. Starlight was a bit nervous but eventually gave in.  
Every Boulevard is a miracle mile  
You'll take the town and you'll take it with style  
And if you play it brave and bold  
These are Streets of Gold

The music blared throughout the city, getting the attention of the cops and Glade.  
"What's that? A concert?" Glade muttered.  
"Faust Damn It!" the cop captain yelled. "tell all forces to move to the square." he told his lieutenant as he walked off. "that bastard is going down this time!" he angrily said as he disappeared.  
Glade and his soldiers had a bad feeling. They followed the other cops to the square to find out what's going on.

Rita and Meryl:  
When you've got talent, everything is free.  
Watch how we do things. Ooh, I guarantee.  
Starlight joins in.  
Your gonna see how the best survive.  
We make an art out of staying alive.  
And if you do just as you're told.  
These are Streets of Gold  
Every Boulevard is a miracle mile  
You'll take the town and you'll take it with style  
And if you play it brave and bold  
These are Streets of Gold

A Black and virtually evil shape flew though the skies above the city. He looked around with his eagle like vision and found his target.  
"Starlight…" he snarled.

Your gonna see how the best survive.  
We make an art out of staying alive.  
And if you do just as you're told.  
These are Streets of Gold  
During her singing and dancing, Starlight's magic faltered, causing her saddle-bags to come loose.  
Every Boulevard is a miracle mile  
You'll take the town and you'll take it with style  
And if you play it brave and bold  
These are Streets of Gold

Starlight's saddle-bags flew off and landed on the street.

End Song.

Without her knowledge, her wings spread out and revealed themselves to the crowd, who collectively gasped in surprise and awe. Bass was surprised by that fact his suspicions were right.  
Starlight opened her eyes and saw the crowd looking at her funny. She lowered a eyebrow in confusion as to why. "What? Do I have something in my hair?"  
"STARLIGHT!"  
The Alicorn gasped when she heard that voice. "Oh, no." she gasped again. She turned to see Glade standing at the entrance to the markets with his troops and the local police. "Glade…"  
Glade spread his wings and flew on down to the crowd, who instinctively bowed to him for being a Alicorn. "You are under arrest for destroying the Royal Canterlot Museum!"  
"the what?" Starlight asked. She didn't even know such a place existed, and she's been to Canterlot more times then most of her friends.  
Suddenly, a black fireball fell from the sky. It struck in the middle of the markets and quickly spread, cutting Starlight off from everyone.  
"What in Equestria…?" Glade gasped. "is Starlight this powerful?"  
The cop captain snarled and turned to his troops. "Seems we have a vandal. And we all know what happens to vandals!" the other cops nodded with the same evil snicker.  
Glade and his forces looked at each other. That seemed like a good sign that the police force in Baltimare had grown corrupt.

Starlight gasped in fear as the dark fire encircled her, leaving her with no escape. "What's going on?" she asked in fear.  
A ring rang though her ears and all sounds seemed to disappear. Her eyes went white and she seemed to enter some kind of trance.

"Oh, Warriors from Distant Stars, I call to you.  
come to this visage of eternal time  
And save the ashes of life  
Oh, Warriors from Distant Stars, I summon you  
Save these realms from the grip of Ultimate Eternal Chaos."

Starlight shook her head and broke out of her trance. She held her head in pain, ignoring the fire around her.  
"what… what was that?" she groaned.  
A sudden yell broke her from her thoughts and forced her to look up.  
A small part of the fire split open and a pony she had never met before walked in. whoever he was, he is very menacing with his cold eyes, black body, a twisted horn, a fire design on his front hooves and stomach, a emerald handing off his neck with gold chains, menacing green eyes, and red & green brightly colored hair. What surprised her most was that this pony was a Alicorn like her and Glade.  
"who… who are you?"  
The Alicorn's eyes and emerald glowed dark green. "I… am Chaos Gun." his horn glowed a sick green that dripped like poison. "and you, Starlight… you are needed for my Master."  
"Master?"

Begin Song: watch?v=q-_YhTj9hU0 Epic Song of Storms - by Youtuber Rakshael

A intense ball of green light appeared on the tip of his horn. He wasn't going to answer her. He was going to follow his orders. With a evil snicker, he took aim and fired at her. Starlight had no place to run too and she had no idea how to stop it. She was helpless.  
The attack hit and exploded with a powerful force, sending the fire away and knocking people on their feet. Chaos Gun just stood there, unfazed by the blast. He smiled evilly but it quickly faded when Starlight's burnt body wasn't there. Did he go overboard?  
Before he could investigate, a magic blast shot by his head, missing by inches. "Hold it right there!" Glade demanded. The dark Alicorn slowly turned his head to him. "I don't know who you are, but you're under arrest for assaulting a member of the Royal Family."  
Chaos Gun scoffed then laughed. "Royal Family? Last I checked, she gave that up when she ran away."  
Before Glade could interrogate further, all the cops blatantly attacked him with forbidden spells, not caring about the civilians caught in the cross-fire. The dark Alicorn spread his wings and quickly took to the air.  
"WHOA!" Glade yelled. He ran to the captain. "What are you doing? There are civilians down there. And those are forbidden spells."  
"You think I give a rat's ass about these… things? This is my city and I won't tolerate someone like that coming in!" he yelled, forgetting Glade's standing.  
Glade was a bit stunned to hear a enforcer of the peace say this. He was supposed to protect people, not enslave them. "I see. Well then…" he used his magic to slap cuffs on the cop captain and all the other cops. "then YOU are under arrest for enslaving the people you were supposed to protect."

A manhole cover not far away from the market place lifted out of place then slid to the side. Bass was the first one out. He reached in and pulled Starlight out.  
"Thanks for the save." Starlight said with a heavy pant. "but how did you know that would work?"  
"One thing I learned from movies is that whenever there's a barrier, they never cover the down-low stuff like sewers." a large explosion came from the markets as the dark Alicorn flew up into the air. "How's about we get out of here?" Bass insisted. Starlight didn't have to argue. The two ran off.

Chaos Gun yelled as he fired a attack at Glade. He and his soldiers launched a combined barrier spell, which blocked it and returned it to sender. Chaos Gun strafed to the side and it shot by. It exploded in mid-air, doing no harm.  
He sensed a sudden surge in power nearby. "Starlight…" he turned his head and immediately found her. He turned completely and flew after her. Knowing this monster is after the same thing she is, Glade ran after them, leaving his soldiers to deal with the corrupt cops.

Bass and Starlight ran as fast as they could though the city streets, attempting to get rid of their pursuer. "GET BACK HERE!" Chaos Gun yelled, storming though the markets with the force of a F2 Tornado.  
Bass skidded to a halt and jumped though a window. Starlight followed suit. Chaos Gun was moving too fast to stop and turn so he had to fly out of the city and make a big U-Turn.  
The two reemerged on the other side of the building they went into and sighed. "Starlight!" Glade yelled, finding them.  
"AH!" Starlight got up and ran for her life, Bass and Glade not far behind.  
"Starlight, Stop Running!" Glade insisted.  
"Leave me alone, Glade!" she cried out. She spread her wings and started to flap them when Bass stopped her.  
"Are you serious!? There's a bigger baddy up in the skies right now." he said. Starlight forgot about the new guy and folded her wings.

Chaos Gun looked around the city, having lost her. "Dammit! My master's not going to be happy about this!" he snarled.

Starlight and Bass skidded to a halt as they reached the edge of the city. Below the mountain city was a small river with ice blocks floating down it.  
"That's a long way down." Starlight nervously said.  
Bass looked back to see Glade trip on a box and fall over. He quickly used his magic to blast it off. "Make a choice cause he's getting up!" Starlight gulped out of fear. Jump or face Glade. When did her life become so complicated? Glade completely got up and ran to them. Bass made Starlight's decision for her.  
He pushed Starlight over the edge and jumped after her. Glade stopped at the edge and snarled. He spread his wings. His right one hurt badly, forcing him to pull it back. He looked to see a big splinter in the muscle. "Damn. Must've been that box."

End Song.

Glade looked over the edge and sighed. "Starlight… this only proves that you're guilty of all this." he scratched his neck and headed back into town. He had another, more corrupt baddie to deal with.

Chaos Gun watched from the sky as Starlight fell to the river far below. "well… guess that means I can hold nothing back." he chuckled. He spread his wings and shot up into the clouds.


	13. Reunion

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 12

Reunion

Starlight pulled herself out of the freezing water and onto a block of ice big enough to hold her and 4 others, coughing up water like there's no tomorrow. "AGH! Mmm…" she coughed heavily, bringing up a slight bit of blood with this volley. "oh, gods! My insides hurt." she groaned. She wasn't the worst off. Bass laid on his back, coughing like her but with more water coming out. Starlight looked to him. "What…" she hacked again, finally clearing the water out of her system. "What was wrong with you?"  
"mmmmm….." Bass moaned. He rolled onto his stomach and cleared his lungs of water. "Um…" he said with a sore throat. "eh… you didn't want to be taken by either of those Alicorns, did you?"  
Starlight had forgotten that. Not only did her cousin Glade show up to arrest her for something she didn't do, but this mysterious black Alicorn she never met before. He kept talking about a 'master'. what master? "n-no. I-I didn't."  
Bass sat up and rubbed his throat. "So… when were you going to tell us you were a Alicorn?"  
Alicorn… Starlight was hoping nobody would ask that. "I… was hoping you wouldn't find out. This wasn't something I wanted to talk about."  
"Why?"  
The Alicorn sighed. "cause my life… I think I was a mistake."  
"Mistake?"  
"you know that Alicorns are only born into the royal family, right? Well… I was born to a librarian who was… taken advantage of in the Gryphon Kingdom."  
"oh." that would be a good reason for mistake. "so… this journey… is to find your origins. Why you were born a Alicorn?"  
"Why I was born at all. Even my aunt Celestia said that no Alicorn has been born outside the royal family. And none of them have power over time."  
Bass wasn't sure he heard that right. "wait, did you say time?"  
Starlight slowly nodded and showed him her Cutie Mark. "for the first time in our planets history, I was born with complete dominion over time, Though I haven't been able to fully master it. I can't make giant leaps though time, if you're going to ask that." she sat back down with a sigh. "there must be some reason for all of this. Why am I a Alicorn? Why do I have power over time? I just… I need to know. And maybe my father, my real father, knows the answer."  
Bass shrugged. "if you say so." he looked back to the city, which laid a few dozen feet above them. "so, who were those other Alicorns?"  
"the one in the armor was my cousin Glade Yggdrasill, son of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. The black one… I don't know who he is."  
"You don't?"  
"no. he told me his name is Chaos Gun but that's about it. Other then that, he came out of nowhere."  
"you sure?"  
Starlight nodded. "As far as I know, there's only 8 Alicorns in existence right now; me, Glade, Woona, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Cosmos, and Erys. This guy came out of nowhere. I don't know where he came from but I have a feeling he's very dangerous."

"You can't do this!" the cop captain yelled.  
During the incident with the unknown Alicorn known as Chaos Gun, Glade saw that the cops have indeed grown corrupt, which is what the escaped citizens said to Celestia in Canterlot. Thanks to him and his forces attacking the citizens while attacking Chaos Gun, Glade and his troops placed them all under arrest. They are currently ransacking the captains office to see what would've triggered this violent change.  
"Yes, I can." Glade said. "anyone who's willing to injure or even kill the people around them is something that must be investigated. Now, until we know what caused this change, you and your co-horts are to be…"  
One of his soldiers opened a drawer and found some incriminating. "sir. You're gonna want to see this."  
Glade turned around and saw his subordinate holding a small green shining crystal. It bore a striking resemblance to a crystal from one of the murals, the one about the Winter War. He used his magic to grab it and show it to the captain. "Where did you get this?" the captain stayed quiet. Glade angrily frowned and shoved it in his face. "Where did you get this?" the captain didn't budge. "Okay then."  
Glade smashed the crystal on the floor, shattering it into pieces. The captain fell into a mini-trance. His eyes flashed for a moment then fell back to their natural brown color. The captain fell over but was quickly caught by a soldier.  
The captain groaned and shook held his head in pain. "Wha… what happened?" he calmly asked.  
That explains it. The captain and the rest of the officers must've been corrupted by that crystal. "what's the last thing you remember?" Glade asked.  
"un… I remember you arriving in town, then I… attacked that mystery pony."  
Glade turned to his lieutenant. Seems that crystal erased the horrid stuff they did. Maybe. "what else do you remember?"  
"un… I treated the citizens like slaves, but that's not me. I never acted like that."  
Glade used his magic to pull the crystal shards up into view. He assembled to pieces to resemble what it once was. "what do you remember of this crystal?"  
"Un… my dad found it lying in the ground 18 years ago, around the time the Winter War ended."  
The end of the Winter War… from what his mother Cadence told him, the final battle of the war was a battle against Dark Chrysalis. the Humans, Ponies, Gryphons, and the newly pacified Light Chrysalis and her Changelings fought against the dark half of Chrysalis who had encased herself inside a massive crystal monster. The descriptions of the monster had it having the same colors as the crystal he had just found.  
"hmm… it's likely your father found a remnant of Dark Chrysalis' giant crystal armor. When she exploded, one of the shards must've landed here."  
"yeah. That must've been the case." the captain groaned again. "it's odd. We were under it's spell but it didn't start glowing that green shine until a few days ago."  
A few days ago… that's when Starlight ran away and the museum was ransacked. There must be a reason for all these things. It can't just be coincidences.

Once the ice block they were riding on got close enough to shore, Bass jumped off first and helped Starlight off as a guard would a princess.  
"Bass, Please. I may be a Alicorn but you don't have to show me any preferential treatment." Starlight insisted.  
"Sorry." Bass nervously chuckled. "force of habit." Starlight chuckled. "but… I had a feeling you were one."  
"You did?"  
"yeah. The day after your 'inauguration'. the only time people have ever seen over-sized Unicorns is though a growth spell. And those only last for a few hours. Plus, you kept wearing Saddle-Bags. If I didn't have you pegged, I could've sworn I was losing it."  
"then why didn't you tell anyone?"  
Bass shrugged. "who could I tell? All my friends are busy trying to stay alive and I couldn't tell the cops. You saw how they acted."  
Starlight lightly shrugged. And if she had Filigree's ability to send letters via magic breath or even bothered to try and learn how to do it as a Alicorn, she could send a message to Celestia warning her about this.  
A squawk came up from above. The Phoenix Zel flew down towards them, carrying Starlight's saddlebag's in it's claws. "Nice timing, Zel." Bass called out.  
The Phoenix hovered in front of Starlight, who used her magic to take her saddle-bags. "thank you, Peewee." the Phoenix happily squawked and flew over to Bass and landed on his back.  
"Peewee? Who's Peewee?" the pony asked.  
"yeah. He was my uncle Spikes pet. We all thought he was dead when he was sent flying away in a wind-storm 6 months ago. I can tell it's him because of that purple scale around it's left foot. Who knew he was sent all the way to Baltimare?"  
Bass looked back to the Phoenix and chuckled. "I didn't know either. Thought I think I should-"  
Bass was suddenly interrupted when he was rammed from the side. He and his assailant rolled in the snow. His assailant got up and pinned Bass to the ground. "Stay away from Starlight." Soarin' Cloud said.  
"Soarin'?!" Starlight exclaimed in surprise.  
"Stay away from my sister!" Goldie yelled as she and the rest of Starlight's friends got in his way. The guys of the group helped Soarin' pin Bass to the ground.  
Starlight was stunned to see all her friends here. They came all this way for her? She felt honored by that. "What are you guys doing here?" she remembered what they were doing to Bass and ran over to him. "Get off of him." she used her magic to pull her friends off.  
"Starlight! What are you doing!?" Marian exclaimed. "He kidnapped you!"  
"What!? No he didn't!" she helped Bass up. "he helped me escape from danger when I arrived here. Speaking of which, what are you all doing here?"  
"we're here to take you home." Windancer said. "a friend of my family, Hoofdini, brought us here to thanks to a teleportation shell. We arrived 4 days ago and searched though town for you. When we didn't find you, we went out into the countryside to find you. That was 3 hours before all those explosions."  
"Star, please." Sweet Song pleaded. "Come home with us."  
Starlight shook her head. "I… I can't."  
"Why not?" Goldie pleaded. "Mom is really worried about you."  
She was? Starlight figured that she hates her now due to what she did to Halo. "She does?" she shook her head rapidly. "it still doesn't matter. I'm going to find my father."  
"Halo's your father, Star." Peppy said. "it doesn't ma-"  
"IT DOES TOO MATTER!" Starlight yelled, much to everyone's surprise. "He… he has to know… he has to know why… why I'm me."  
"What?"  
"Why am I a Alicorn? Why do I have power over time? Why do I… why do I exist?" all her friends were very surprised and heart-broken to hear her Starlight. Usually, she's cheerful. How long was she hiding this? "My real father must know the answer and I plan on finding out."  
"Starlight…" a sad Goldie said.  
"Answer?" a mean-spirited voice yelled out. She only heard it once but Starlight recognized it completely. "the only answer you need…"

Begin Song: watch?v=MVX-4MqUF8Y Rebellion - Asura's Wrath OST

Something fell from the sky and exploded in front of them all, casting dark clouds over the area. Yellow eyes appeared out of it. One mighty flap of his wings and Chaos Gun cleared it away. "… is to how I will take you to my master!"  
"You…" Starlight gasped as she backed in fear. Bass got into a defensive pose in front of Starlight. He wasn't going to let this guy take her away, not after what he did to Baltimare. "What are… just who are you?"  
Chaos Gun snickered with a smirk. His horn glowed a sickly green yet again. "your harbinger of destiny." he reared back, gathered up strength, and shot towards Starlight and Bass.  
He hit them with the force of a freight train and sent them flying into the cliff wall. Chaos Gun evilly smiled, spread his wings, and took to the air in such a display of force. He encased himself in darkness and slammed into the spot where the 2 hit, causing a massive rock filled explosion that shook the entire mountain.  
Chaos cleared the smoke to find that they had disappeared. They should be pancakes right now.  
"Looking for something?" Woona said in a joking manner. The dark Alicorn looked back to see Starlight and Bass on the ground, next to Woona. She must've teleported them away in time.  
"Okay. If that's the way you want to play it…" Chaos Gun teleported away in a violent display of darkness and fire.  
He instantly reappeared in the middle of their group and evilly snickered. A powerful and violent force shot out from under him, sending everyone flying in different directions. A second wave followed, this one laced with dark energy. It sent them flying even further, as well as electrocuting them.  
With the power of the Alicorn Amulet, Marian quickly regained herself and skidded to a halt. Her horn glowed and she fired a powerful attack at the monster. Chaos Gun twitched his head to the left, avoiding it completely. He teleported behind her and kicked her hard into the back. Marian rolled into Season's Edge, who had just gotten up.  
Power surged out of Chaos Gun and he loved every bit of it. "This sensation... Hahaha! It's absolutely marvelous!"  
He teleported all around the battlefield, kicking everyone hard in various points on their bodies.

When he arrived at Sweet Song, he… hesitated. Sweet Song closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable. But it never came. Both she and him were stunned by this. He shook his head and tried to hit her again but he just couldn't.  
"How…" Chaos growled. "why can't I…"  
A combined magic blast from Woona and Erys sent Chaos Gun flying into the cliff. Sweet Song got up and ran to her friends side.  
Chaos Gun cannoned out of the smoke and into the sky. He spun around a few times and stopped in a epic pose. He looked them all over but stopped when he got to Sweet Song. Why couldn't he hit her?  
"{Fall back, Chaos Gun.}" his master said in his mind. "{she's already determined to continue her quest. Your part is over… for now.}"  
Chaos snarled not at them, but at himself. Still, mission was accomplished, but… why couldn't he hit that mare?  
"This isn't over!" he called out. "I'll be back!" dark fire engulfed him completely. "you can count on it."

End Song.

Once he was gone fully and completely, everyone breathed a sigh of releif. Nobody noticed that he hesitated at Sweet Song.  
"Why couldn't he…" she wondered. He hit everyone she knew, including the fillies, but why not her?  
"Who was that guy?" Pound asked.  
Starlight didn't answer. She just looked at the spot where the Alicorn disappeared. Just who was he? What does he want? And who is his master? New questions added on to old.

Chaos Gun appeared in his master's throne room, furious at him. "I almost had her!" he yelled.  
Sombra turned to him with a disappointed scowl. "I needed you to insure she will continue, which you did. But you almost killed her in the process. And I need her alive." Chaos scoffed and walked off to another part of the castle. Sombra stopped him when, "by the way… why didn't you attack that mint-colored mare?"  
Chaos Gun looked away from his master, not sure what to tell him. Why didn't he hit her? He looked at his hooves, wondering why his attacks didn't connect to her. That was a answer he was determined to find out.

After some time had passed, long enough for them to lick their wounds and get e drink from the river, Starlight set out on her own.  
"Starlight!" Goldie ran in front of her sister and stopped. "Starlight, please come home."  
"If anyone should go home, it's you Goldie." she gently said as only a sister would. "you saw what that Alicorn was capable of. He didn't hold back, even to you. This is far too dangerous for you…" she heard her friends approaching and turned to face them. "For any of you. That's why I must go alone."  
"not a chance!" her friends all yelled. They all looked at each other and nodded. "We're going with you." they all said.

Begin Song: watch?v=h-xbOua5CyU Link to All - Kingdom Hearts 3D: DreamDropDistance OST

Starlight was a little bit stunned when her friends shouted at her. "What…? But… but that Alicorn, he'll…"  
" so what? Bring him on." Sym said with confidence. "He fled today, didn't he? Maybe someone among us scared him enough to force him to flee."  
"Yeah. And we are so not going to let you go this alone." Fire Ruby said.  
"You may be looking for the answers to your questions and that's something only you can find out…" Filigree started. "… but you are our friend and we are not going to let you do this alone."  
"And we don't care about your past. We only care about you." Erys said. "whatever answers you may find, no matter who your father is or why you're a Alicorn… we're always stick with you. Though Thick and Thin, if need be."  
Starlight looked at her friends for a moment. Tears streamed down from her eyes and she lightly cried. "guys…" they all smiled and gave her looks of confidence. They were intent on coming, regardless of what she's going to say. She happily smiled and wiped her eyes. "Everyone. Thank You. For Everything." They all nodded to her, some with a smile. Starlight smiled back then turned her attention to her Baltimare friend. "Bass… thanks for everything… and I wish you the best of luck and…"  
"Wait wait wait. You think this is good-bye?"  
"un, yeah?" she asked in confusion.  
"no no no. this isn't good-bye. I'm coming with."  
"What?!" She gasped. "but, but what about all your friends? What about Baltimare?"  
"they'll be fine. They've gotten into worse scenarios then this. Plus, with that soldier guy there, he might rehabilitate the captain and make it a friendly place again."  
Glade… right. She had forgotten about him. He is pretty stubborn so he might just pull it off. "Right. Of course he can." she turned to her friends. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Bass Clef, my new friend from Baltimare. Without him, I don't know where'd I'd be right now."  
"hi." he said.  
"h-hi." some of them nervously said.  
"So. Where to?" Pumpkin asked.  
Starlight smiled. As if she had to ask. The Alicorn turned and looked to the horizon. "To the north!"


	14. Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville 1

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 13

Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville 1

Twilight woke up and felt worse then before. Not only did Starlight leave her, but Goldie did as well. When did her life begin to fall apart? She knows that Goldie didn't leave her to run away; she went to go get Starlight back. But… she still left.  
"Goldie… Starlight… where are you?" she asked as a single tear ran down her face. She sat up in her bed and sighed. She looked over to her still sleeping husband and sighed. "Halo… where did things go wrong?"  
She turned to get out of bed. She saw a letter laying on her dresser. Curious, she got up and walked to it. She picked it up and read it over. Her eyes gradually grew wide as she read it.  
The lights turned on, forcing Halo to wake up. "aoh…" he groaned. He barely opened his eyes and looked at the clock. "It's only 3 A.M., Twi. Let me go back to sleep." he sleepily whined.  
Twilight used her magic to pull him out of bed. "Look at this!" she said, shoving the letter into his face.  
It was too early for this and Twi knew that, but Halo knew he wouldn't win any arguments with her so he grabbed the letter and looked it over. What he read woke him up completely.

The letters they all got had a different style, but the message was the same. This was the letter Twilight and Halo got.  
'Hi… hi, Mom. It's me. Starlight.  
I'm sorry for leaving without saying good-bye. I… I'm sorry. Man, writing this is harder then I thought. Um… you know I didn't mean what I meant with that goodbye forever. I was just emotional. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack da… to attack Halo. I was just so angry that you and da… that Halo lied to me all my life. And I still am. But… I just have to know. I didn't mean to leave like this but I have to know the truth. A-about everything.  
And I don't know who's plan it was but sending my friends to try and convince me to come home didn't work. Now they're insisting on coming with me. I couldn't say no. they were very persistent. And it may be good in the long run, strength in numbers and all.  
You should know now cause I think Glade will send a report or something but… while I was at Baltimare, someone attacked me. None of us know who he is; he came out of nowhere. His name is Chaos Gun and he's a Alicorn. If Aunt Celestia knows something about him, it could help. And he was tough and sadistic. He didn't hold back; he even attacked Goldie and Fire Ruby. But, I think we scared him off thanks to our numbers. And if we run into him again, we're gonna put up a fight. He surprised us this time but we know he's real and we're gonna take him out.  
Also, I made a friend in Baltimare. Bass Clef. He helped me out and pointed me in the direction of this Necromancer fella. He's supposed to know everything so he should tell me what happened to my father and maybe why I'm a Alicorn. Oh, and tell uncle Spike that Bass has been taking care of Peewee ever since that windstorm 6 months back. Seems he got thrown all the way here.  
We're heading into the arctic to find the Necromancer. According to Bass, he should be in there.  
And mom… again, I am very, very sorry for leaving like I did. I just… I need to know. Everyone's writing their own parents to let them know they're okay.

Goodbye, but not forever,

Starlight."

"Chaos Gun…?" Celestia repeated, having read the same letter Twilight did. She read Erys also, but Starlight's seem to have the most info. Everyone had all gathered at Sugarcube Corner to discuss what they had just read.  
"you know of him, Princess?" Applejack asked.  
She shook her head. "no. but something about that name is familiar. I just can't place it. I am, however, curious as to why he's a Alicorn. There's only 8 in existence right now. And nobody outside of royalty can have a Alicorn. Present company exempted, of course." she said to Twilight.  
Twilight sighed and placed her head on her hoof. She was just happy Starlight's okay. But this Chaos Gun character has her worried. Why would he attack? And why is he a Alicorn? So many questions, so little time to get answers. Nobody knew who he was so she went to another topic. "Princess Celestia, do you know what a Necromancer is? None of the books I read made a mention of a Necromancer."  
"there's a good reason for that. Necromancers use forbidden magic that can corrupt anyone, no matter how strong their spirit. They use dark magic to see secrets across time and space and also peer into the recess's of ones mind. And yet, for their dark reputation, they are surprisingly honest so whatever he'll say to Starlight and her friends, it will be the truth."  
"Oh. Well, that's… good. I think." Twilight sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I just want them to be safe."  
"We all do, Twilight." Cadence said. "It's not just Starlight but all of our children are up there."  
"but did they have to choose now to go?" Dash said with a ton of worry. "it's the middle of winter and they're heading up to the Arctic North. At this time of year, there's blizzards, snow wolves. Even Windigoes up there right now. That Chaos Gun guy is the least of their worries right now."  
Everyone knew. They knew that the arctic at this time of the year is very, very dangerous. And it wouldn't have mattered if they went in the summer, the arctic was still dangerous.  
They all needed cheering up and, while she misses Windancer, Derpy had to think of something. She then remembered that a famous singer was coming to Canterlot. "what's with all this doom and gloom?" she said. Some of them angrily looked at her. "you know what we should do? We should go out. Like maybe to a concert."  
"Derpy!" Edge exclaimed. "our children are out in the middle of nowhere, being assaulted by this… chaos chap. How can you think of going to a concert?"  
Derpy adopted a heart-broken face and sighed. "I know that, but we can't stop Starlight and our children from going on with this. They'd never listen to us. But they know we're gonna love them regardless and wish for their well-being. The best we can do for them right now… is to pray that they'll make it home safe. But worrying won't help them none. We can only hope while we live our lives, right?"  
The ponies all looked at each other. She had a point. Worrying about them while they're so far away won't help. There's nothing they can do to help. "As much as I hate to admit it, the klutz is right." Dash said, ending with a joking manner.  
"Dash." Fluttershy exclaimed.  
"What? I was just joking with the whole klutz thing." that still didn't stop Spike from beaning her upside the head.  
"actually, a concert sounds like a good idea. It could bring our spirits up." Rarity said. Everyone agreed. "exactly who did you have in mind?"  
Derpy snickered and imitated the singer as best she could. "The Pony of Pop: Sapphire Shores!"

"I have to admit, that was a good idea of yours, Derpy." eTu`nes said as he got his tux on. Like Spike, he had his custom made.  
"well, I know one of them would take one of these days." she said from the bathroom. "that's just math."  
The drake didn't quite understand but shrugged. "if you say so."  
Derpy walked out, wearing a flowing red dress complete with a red bow and a small pendant. eTu`nes stopped what he was doing as his mouth dropped. "how do I look?" she asked, trying to look as sexy as possible.  
eTu`nes stammered. He was utterly speechless. "you… you look… words can't describe you."  
Derpy blushed. "you're just saying that."  
The drake pulled her over and looked deeply into her eyes. "no, I'm not." he softly said. "even after 18 years, you still know how to make yourself more beautiful every time. And no mare's more beautiful then my favorite klutz."  
Derpy is completely mesmerized by that. After all these years, their love has only gotten stronger. "eTu`nes…" she leaned in to kiss when, "wait, did you just call me a klutz?"  
Uh-oh. Busted. "un… eh… er… I mean…" Derpy broke her embrace and gave her hubby a stern look. "eh…" he was screwed. "un… oh. I think I hear Lyra calling. Hehe. We better go." he bolted out the door as fast as he could, leaving behind a dust cloud shaped like himself, and even that didn't last long.  
Derpy chuckled as she slowly walked out. "Good to know I can still scare him." she chuckled. She took her time going down the stairs. Half of her klutziness comes from incidents with stairs.

Sapphire Shores big concert in Canterlot was sold out but, thanks to some pull from Luna and Trixie, they were able to get the best seats in the house. It helps when a princess and her wife happens to be 2 of the pop star's biggest fans.  
"nice seats." Bonbon laughed in awe. "How'd you get these?"  
Trixie playfully laughed. "benefits of being a Duchess."  
"Rrrrright." Luna said. Trixie comically stiffened. "and me being a fan as well had nothing to do with it." Trixie couldn't speak. She just closed her eyes and nervously chuckled.  
"I just don't know." Twilight said. "our children are going though hell out there. Should we even be here?"  
The lights dimmed and Sapphire Shores walked on stage. The crowd went wild for her, Trixie and Luna included.  
A sympathetic Fluttershy grabbed Twi's hoof. "we can't go and get them, Twilight. Or else they'll resent us. And Starlight will hate you until the end of time. This is something she has to do on her own." Twilight sighed full of lament. She hates this. She just hates this.  
"Hello there, Canterlot!" Sapphire Shores exclaimed as a pop star would. The crowd went wild. The cheers were loud enough to pull Twilight out of her sorrow trance. "Are we ready for a good time tonight?!"  
The crowd cheered yes. It was loud enough to force Rarity to clean her ear. "this is why I never go to concerts. They're always so loud." she whispered to Zilver. The Stallion just shrugged. He didn't find a difference.  
Sapphire waved to the crowd then stopped when she grabbed a mike. "Good, good. Now, before I begin. I would like to give my protégée a chance to sing. And she's as famous as me. Hit it, Girl!"  
Spotlights moved around and slowly inched their way to the new singer.  
The music was slow and perfect for the moment. The singer sang with such a beautiful voice that it's almost heavenly.

There's a time when the moon  
Revealed it's face though the clouds.  
I let out a sigh  
And want to cry out loud.  
but deep in my heart  
I feel love small alive.  
In the depths of my soul  
I know we will survive.

Rarity was shocked to hear that lullaby. It was the same one she sang to her sister. Was this… "Sweetie Belle?" she gasped. The spotlights focused on the grown-up Sweetie Belle. She spotted her big sister but kept singing. Rarity teared up. "even after all these years, she remembers it."

albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%206/314499_517031161661177_326619143_n_

I'm the one they would break  
In their greed and their pride.  
But deep in my heart  
I feel love so alive.  
In the depths of my soul,  
I know we will survive.

After Sweetie Belle's little songlet, Rarity and Spike went backstage to meet their famous sister under Sapphire Shore's pop songs.  
"Oh. It's good to see you again, Sweetie Belle." Rarity delightfully said while hugging her little sister.  
"It's good to see you again, Rarity." Sweetie Belle replied. She broke the hugged and turned to her draconic brother-in-law. "Good to see you too, Spike."  
"likewise, Sweetie Belle. Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"  
"Simple. I wanted it to be a surprise."  
"Like your engagement to Rumble?" Rarity asked with a smile.  
Sweetie nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. "You saw that on Jimmy Cloplle?"  
"of course. Why didn't you tell us in person?"  
Sweetie shrugged. "it just happened. I was so surprised and so flabbergasted that I wasn't thinking straight. He just surprised me with it. He didn't even make any references to marrying me. He was like Chandler from FRIENDS."  
"Friends?" Spike asked in confusion. "Oh, that show Requiem and the others had?"  
"yep. But when he popped the question, I just had to say yes. I was waiting so long for him to ask me."  
"Well, congratulations nonetheless."  
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Oh, where's Filigree? And did you have Fire Ruby yet?"  
Rarity raised a eyebrow in playful confusion. "You know I had Fire Ruby 2 months after you left. I even sent you a picture."  
"oh, right." Sweetie laughed. "I forgot. Well, I never met her yet so now would be a good time. Where is she?" Rarity and Spike's cheerful demeanor was quickly replaced with sadness. That made Sweetie Belle very nervous. "w-what? What did I say?"  
"it-" Spike scratched his neck. "it's nothing. We'll explain later."  
"okay… OH!" she used her magic to pull out a couple of letters. "I have something to tell Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Derpy from the others."  
"The others? Oh, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Dinky?"  
"Yeah. They're all coming to town next week."  
"oh. That's great. We should tell them." Rarity said. She and Spike turned to leave when Sweetie Belle ran in front of them.  
"no no no no no. I want to surprise them on the same day they come. Before you ask, It was Applebloom's idea."  
Rarity and Spike looked at each other with slightly evil grins. They loved a good surprise. "Okay. We'll keep it a secret. Mum's the word." Spike whispered with a claw in front of his mouth.  
Sweetie Belle copied him then burst out laughing. "Sorry. So, what's new in Ponyville?"  
"Well, Fluttershy's pregnant."  
"this makes Baby number 3, right?"  
"Yeah." Rarity said. "She's 3 months along so it's going to be awhile until he or she arrives."  
"And Pinkie and Marble are planning on having another kid."  
Sweetie groaned. "that's the last thing we need; Another Pinkie Pie. What else?"  
"hmm… well, there is this entire situation with Starlight."  
"Starlight? What about her?"


	15. Getting to know each other

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 14

Getting to know each other

The belts around her fell apart and the pony they were wrapped around fell to the sides. The pony cracked open her eyes and was a slight bit confused.

albums/zz224/monsterlord-18/Album%201/484121_404150609668824_352564859_n_

She looked up to see the doctor hovering over her. "Who's there?" she asked. "what do you want?"  
The doctor smiled. "Congratulations. You're cured." the pony he was talking too smiled. "you're free to go." she got up and hugged him.

It seemed like an eternity but, after 20 years in the funny farm, Screw Ball is finally able to leave. She wasn't even crazy but when you're the daughter of one of their most famous patients, who had you while in the mental asylum, they tend to overreact. They only thing she had was a tick in her eye, nothing more, but it was more then enough for them to keep her for 20 years.  
Screw Ball took a deep breath and sighed. "here we go." she took a first hesitant step. When her hoof touched dirt and snow, it was a weird experience. She took a breath of confidence then headed up to Baltimare.

While on the way home, she passed by a large group heading the opposite way. She looked at them and she swears she was seeing things but she swears that a few of them were Alicorns.  
"Great. First hour out and I am going crazy." she muttered. She shrugged. "At least it's just hallucinations." she said with light-heartedness. She continued her trek to Baltimare.

Peewee cooed as he nuzzled up next to Fire Ruby's neck. He missed this little gal. "Hard to believe this is Peewee. We all thought he was long gone." she said.  
"thank Bass. He's the one that took care of him." Starlight said. "though I'm not sure why he called him Zel."  
Bass shrugged. "it was the name that was in my head at the time so I called him that. He didn't seem to complain, though." Peewee squawked in agreement.  
The group had lost sight of Baltimare 3 hours ago. Worried they were gonna get lost, Eris Shine went back into town, carefully avoiding Glade and his troops, and bought a compass. They needed to go north and they didn't want to get lost, especially in this area at this time of the year.  
"so who's your mom, Starlight? You said she was a librarian but you never mentioned her name." Bass pointed out.  
"I didn't?" she replied. "huh. Well, my mom is a beautiful lavender unicorn who's name is Twilight Sparkle. She-"  
Bass interrupted her upon hearing that name. "wait wait wait. Twilight Sparkle? As in the element of harmony Twilight Sparkle?"  
"You heard of my mommy?" Goldie asked.  
"yeah. All the Elements of Harmony are world famous."  
Everyone slapped themselves in the head. How could they have forgotten? "Right. We all completely forgot." they all said in unison.  
Bass lightly chuckled. He noticed that a few more of these ponies were Alicorns as well. And Starlight told him their names, so… "I take it you two must be Erys and Woona."  
"Yeah. How did you know?" Woona asked.  
"Starlight couldn't stop talking about you guys. Literally. She'd talk for nights how great her friends were."  
Fire Ruby jumped onto Starlight's back. "you really missed us?"  
Starlight giggled and used her magic to pull her cousin off. "of course I did. You're all my friends and family. I was broken-hearted leaving you guys behind."  
Ruby turned to her friends and said in a dopey tone, "she missed us." Peppy and Eris Shine lightly chuckled.  
"I did."  
"Wait, talked for nights?!" Golden Day said. "did you two… do it?" Starlight's friends looked at the two of them, wondering that as well.  
"WHAT!?" both Starlight and Bass yelled in surprise and fear. "No. no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no."  
"We're just friends." Bass said. "everyone used to stay up late to tell stories. Which brings me back to my next question; how do you guys know Starlight?"  
"well, we are family." Peppy, Erys, Marian, Woona, Fire Ruby, Filigree, and Goldie said.  
"r-really?" A dirty thought entered Bass' mind. He saw the more mature ones playing at the beach in skimpy swimsuits. He made sure not to show it outside. "y-you are? You're all sisters?"  
"Me and Goldie are." Starlight explained. "the rest are my cousins." that still didn't make Bass's dirty thought go away. "my Mom's brother, Shining Armor, married Princess Cadence and they had Glade."  
Bass looked back the way they came. "that guard pony from Baltimare?"  
"yep."  
"Wait, Glade is here?" Marian asked.  
"he's all the way back in Baltimare, but yeah." Starlight returned to his answer. "my mom married Halo, who's brother Zilver married Applejack, the owner of the apple farm and sister Trixie married Princess Luna. My mom's 'number one assistant' Spike married Rarity, a fashionista. Zilver and Applejack had Peppy, Trixie and Luna had Woona and Marian, and Spike and Rarity had Filigree and Fire Ruby. and Erys is the daughter of Princess Celestia."  
Bass whistled in amazement. "Wow. Big family. And powerful, too." he turned to the others. "and these guys?"  
"our parents are all friends." Windancer said. The others nodded on confirmation. "my mom's the mail mare while my dad helps out with Sweet Song's mothers at their candy shop. Sym's mothers own the dance club named after him. Cotton's mother and father, and Pound and Pumpkin's mother and father, own the bakery. Eris Shine's and Soarin' Cloud's mother is the weather mare and their father is a inventor. and Season's Edge and Golden Day's parents are Vets.  
"So it's a extended family?" Bass came to conclude.  
"if you want to put it that way."  
"huh." a pause fell on the group for a moment before Bass asked, "is it true? That there were humans on Equestria all those years ago?"  
"didn't you ever have history in school?" Soarin' asked. "Of course they did. It's one of the most famous events in the planets history."  
Starlight rolled her eyes. "18 years ago, a group of humans lead by a goddess visited our world and, though a giant dragon, ended up stranded here. They met and befriended our parents. With their help, they destroyed Nightmare Moon completely, brought Chrysalis and her Changelings to the good side, reformed Discord, and defeated the same dragon that stranded them, who turned out to be Windancer's father eTu`nes."  
That last part caught Bass by surprise. He looked to Windancer with a bit of knowledge depravation. "your dad is a giant dragon?"  
"WAS a giant dragon!" she insinuated. "yeah, Dad… didn't have the most comforting life."  
"huh." now he just had to ask. "So… did any of you meet the humans?" he asked all of them.  
They all shook their heads. "Me and Glade were only just born when we met the humans." Starlight explained. "Filigree, Woona, Marian, and Season's Edge were conceived at the time but that's it."  
"you don't remember any of them?"  
Starlight wondered if she still did. She closed her eyes and looked back. "Well… I remember that one of them had Silver-Blue hair. In fact, that's the first thing I remember. Mom said she was the one who delivered me. Can't seem to remember her name, though. I want to say Requiem but… I think I'm wrong."  
Everyone shrugged. They can't remember either. Heck, most of them weren't even alive at the time. "So, Bass. What's your story?" Eris Shine asked.  
"My story?"  
"Yeah? Where were you born? How did you meet Starlight? Why do you look like a criminal. Things of that nature."  
Seems fair. He was asking them questions on their life, seems fair to tell them about his. Besides, he thinks they don't trust him, even if Starlight said he was trustworthy.  
"Okay. Um…  
"I was born and raised in Baltimare to a restaurant owner named Psych Eval. Odd name, I know, but that's what happens when your grandpa is a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, a fire killed both my parents when I was 10. I moved in with my uncle but he died 3 years later. After that, I took to the streets and became, as the 'kind' citizens of Baltimare would call me, a street rat. For 5 years, I lived on the streets, learning to look out for myself. Even formed a little posse with the other street rats.  
"Then, around the same time Peewee fell into the city, the cops got corrupt and began putting the boot down on the city; raising prices for everything, evicting those even if they paid, killing those who got against them. Me and my gang took in the orphans left from their rampage and were forced to steal food for them and the starving families. Then, 5 days ago, Starlight came to town, followed by Glade and that Chaos Gun fella. You guys know the rest."  
"Any questions?" he asked with a smug look.  
"Yeah. Why are you coming with us?" Pound asked. "you barely know Starlight so why'd you come?"  
Bass glanced away and sighed. "Because… I want to know how my parents really died. I know there was a fire but something about it just rubs the wrong way. I have this feeling that they didn't die in a accident; that they were murdered. But I have no evidence to go with except my gut feeling. Either way, this Necromancer should be able to answer this. That, and I also want a few personal questions answered."  
"Like what?" Eris Shine asked.  
Bass chuckled. "now that… is a secret."  
besides, he also had another reason for doing this. That voice from a week ago told him to take care of a important person who was passing though town. He concluded that the voice was talking about Starlight. She's a Alicorn with power over time. That screams 'important'. but why her? That's one of the questions he's hoping the Necromancer will answer.


	16. Continuing the Chase

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 15

Continuing the Chase

With the crystal destroyed, all the cops in Baltimare went back to being nice ponies. Nobody in town had suspected that a simple crystal could've brainwashed them all to be evil. Nor did anyone suspect that the crystal was a remnant of the crystal form Dark Chrysalis used during her final battle 19 years ago. But why would it corrupt them now? It had 19 years to do so yet it went into effect a few months ago? Why then? Something was wrong with this picture and Glade knew it.  
He sat on a park bench, thinking it over. "hmm… even if it was put into a state of hibernation, there would have to be a reason why it would activate now. But what? Starlight didn't run away until a few days ago and none of the princess' cast a country-wide spell." this is one mystery that is going to give him a headache. Those are the two big variables that could cause it to activate.  
But how could it corrupt them? The shards they gathered after the fight didn't corrupt any of them and they were glowing like fireworks. So how could this corrupt them? Glade used his magic to pull out vial carrying the shards of the crystal he destroyed. "How could you have corrupted them? What do you have that the others didn't?"

The vial carrying the shards appeared on the screens in Sombra's throne room. He angrily snarled then turned them off.  
When he sent his magic though that crystal to corrupt Baltimare's law enforcement, he had hoped that would keep anyone pursuing Starlight at bay for awhile. He didn't expect that bastard child of Princess Cadence to be the one in pursuit. He should've made it indestructible. Doesn't matter now. He's still in Baltimare and Starlight is on her way here. Speaking of which…  
Sombra turned the screens back on, this time focusing on Starlight and her friends. He was hoping she would come by herself. He didn't expect all her friends to follow. Still, doesn't matter. He can have Chaos Gun deal with them. He had suspected that they would follow and had a plan to deal with them.  
The one he didn't plan for was Bass Clef, the pony that joined them in Baltimare. He had seen him care for Starlight in Baltimare but he didn't expect for him to come with her. He doesn't know anything about Bass; he could be a Alicorn himself in disguise. Of course, that guess is a far-fetched one. Besides, he can still have Chaos Gun deal with him, like with the others.  
But that Mare he couldn't hit, that Sweet Song character. She may be a problem. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hit her. Does she have some invisible barrier or is she not really there? Whatever the case, Sombra is certain that Chaos Gun can deal with it.

Chaos Gun looked at the tube he was born out of. He was born to be one thing and one thing only; a servant to King Sombra. His first memory, at least the one he can remember, was the day he was created.

(Chaos Gun Point of View)

My vision blurred as I opened my eyes for the first time, showing the top of a tube. Why was I hear? Where was I? I closed them and went back to sleep before I could get my answers.

I opened my eyes again, this time looking down at my body. I was fully formed though I don't think I was before. This is so confusing. I closed my eyes again.

I opened my eyes and kept them open this time. Something was… different this time. I… I was aware. Fear took me over. I slammed into the glass, desperately trying to get out. I don't care where I went, I just needed out.  
The next thing I know, a dark aura grabbed all 4 of my hooves and my neck and slammed me into the back of the tube.  
A dark pony rose up in front of me. He was menacing. His eyes were soulless and reptilian. This guy had the feeling of pure evil about him.  
"you… are Chaos Gun." he said. His voice was deep and booming. If I could, I would sink to the bottom out of fear. "I… am your master, King Sombra.  
"You were created from the genes of the strongest members of each species on the planet; the strongest Pegasus, Unicorn, Earth Pony, Dragon, Quarry Eel, Diamond Dog, Gryphon, you even have the genes of Discord the Draconequus and Princess Celestia. You even have my brain smarts. You… are the powerful being this world has ever seen or will ever see."  
I was just created so I had no clue what he was talking about but he imprinted all the knowledge I would need into my mind a few days later.  
One thing that's still bothering me is where he got the technology to do this. This kind doesn't exist on Equestria, or at least not anymore. He made sure I knew my history, especially with that dragon eTu`nes and his dark self Oscurita. He had a massive impact on our world in more ways then one. But still, the technology that created Oscurita was long gone; all the records have been destroyed.  
He must've gotten it from his 'allies', that dark knight Tsylatac and the guy with the freaky hair Orochi. There's no other explanation. They came from other worlds so they must've brought this technology with them.  
A jolt of electricity shot though my tube, knocking me out.

The next thing I remember is the liquid from my tube flushing out and Sombra talking to me.  
"…you are to accelerate Starlight's journey and make sure she arrives her faster then she planned."  
The tube hissed and it opened. I fell out and landed on my needs, coughing up the same liquid I was floating in. Sombra placed a green gem around my neck. I could sense that it was filled with his magic, making me powerful.  
This may have been the first time I heard Starlight's name out loud but it was already on my mind before I was 'born'. all my knowledge was imprinted, along with all my power. I was this world's ultimate being.

(End P.O.V. Flashback)

Chaos Gun opened his eyes and looked at the tube. He tapped the jewel hanging off his neck.  
"So why do I feel… empty inside?"  
A surge of darkness and fire came behind him. Chaos Gun dropped his thoughts and turned around to his master.  
"Ready for Round 2?" Sombra asked.  
"Round 2?"  
Sombra nodded. He tapped his hoof on the ground, causing a screen to appear. "they will soon be passing the Wyrm Pass. I trust you know what lies in wait for them."  
He did know. That pass wasn't called that just because of the picture of a giant Wyrm painted on the cavern walls. There are also giant Wyrms there, each one large enough to eat Starlight's group in a single gulp. "you want me to destroy the Wryms."  
Sombra turned to leave. "I want you to make sure they get out in one piece. And once they're out of the pass…" Sombra walked to the door and used his magic to open it. "Attack."

Glade leaned his head on his right hoof, wondering what to do next. He heard footfalls coming his way but paid no mind to it.  
"um, e-excuse me. Is this seat taken?" a calm female voice asked.  
Glade looked up to see a green pony with messy silver hair standing next to the bench. He took notice of her Cutie Mark, which was a single screw. Must be in construction or something. "no, it's not." he replied.  
"thanks. I've been walking for hours. My hooves are killing me." she took the seat and rubbed them.  
Glade looked her over. Thin body, tussled hair, a twitch in her left eye. She must've come from a mental institute. Either that or she's just really messing. "I don't recall seeing you around here."  
"that's because I just arrived in Baltimare. I spent almost all my life in a mental institute."  
Guess that first guess was right. But she doesn't have any problems talking to him, so she must've been in there for a short time. "wait, you said almost all your life?"  
The mare lightly chuckled. "Yeah. But when your mom is one of their more famous nut-jobs, you… tend to stay." Glade raised a eyebrow in confusion. She knew that and groaned. First hour in the real world and she's already explaining where she came from. "um… my mom… was a psychotic pony named Screw Ball, a pony I had to be named after. One of the doctors, who was a real jerk, had his way with her and… well, here I am."  
That's new, Glade thought. And she's not afraid to talk about it. Probably not by choice but still. "how… old are you?"  
"20. And they've kept me in that institute all my life. And it wasn't so they could use me like me mother- that guy got fired -they just wanted to see what was wrong with me. Not sure why it took them 20 years but I guess it pays to be thorough. In the end, all I have is this twitch in my left eye."  
"but you don't seem worse for the ware." Glade commented. "in fact, you seem to be interacting with society quite well."  
"well, I wasn't trapped there ALL my life. I was let out once in awhile."  
Glade lightly chuckled then returned to his thoughts and one thing was forefront on his mind; where did Starlight go too? Last time he saw her, it was during that attack from that… Gun chap. She didn't get taken by him, did she? And who was that earth pony who was with her? He used his magic to summon up the wanted poster and looked it over. "*sigh* where did you disappear too, Starlight?"  
Screw glanced to the poster. And that name sounded female. "Girlfriend?" she asked.  
"Cousin. Powerful one who ran away."  
Screw Ball looked at it. She immediately recognized that pony. "Wait. I know her." Glade found that to be highly unlikely. She was just released from a mental hospital. She's probably got hallucinations and doesn't even know it. "yeah, I saw her as I left the hospital. She was surrounded by a lot of her friends. Least, I think they were her friends."  
Friends? Could it be that Earth Pony's group or did Marian and the others follow them here? That last option seems like the most opportune one. His friends were persistent. Now back to this girl. This was a black and white photo. How could she know what Starlight looked like? "um… what color was she?"  
Screw Ball looked into her memory; that was one of the things she had good, having a eidetic memory. "hmm… she had a pink body with a… a fire-like mane? She also had wings that lacked feathers."  
"That's Starlight!" Glade exclaimed. "where did you last see her?"  
This was unexpected. "um… outside of the mental hospital I was released from?"  
Glade chuckled. So close. He's so close. "wait here. I'm gonna go get my squad."  
He ran off, leaving Screw Ball behind. "Why do you want me to wait here?" she asked, not really sure what's going on.  
"Because you're gonna have to show me where you last saw her." he replied.  
This was new for her. Whoever this pony was, he was clearly in the royal guard. 'going to get his squad' was a big hint. But, why would he need her help? And who was this Starlight character? Is she some villain who stole something important? Or was this guard pony just looking for a quick shot of fame. Whatever the case, someone was asking her for help.  
And she liked that.


	17. Time for Practice

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 16

Time for Practice

Screw Ball lead Glade and his 7 soldiers to where she saw Starlight and her friends. Thanks to her eidetic memory, she could recall what every one of them was doing but focused on the Pink Alicorn, for Glade's sake. She wasn't going to argue against a captain in the royal guard, and another Alicorn at that. But something about him was… appealing, to a sense. Guess it was all that power that comes with rank, she don't know.  
"Screw Ball?" Glade asked, starting to get a little impatient.  
"Sorry." she looked into her memory and remembered the same scene she was asked to recall. "she was… surrounded by her friends. one was another Alicorn around her age…"  
"has to be Woona." one of the soldiers commented. "she's the only other Alicorn Glade's and Starlight's age."  
"…And there are others." Screw Ball added. "mostly Pegasi..."  
"So they did follow us here." Glade commented. "it must've been Cotton's idea; she doesn't leave well enough alone."  
"…they were talking and laughing, talking about something. I wasn't close enough to hear what. They were…" she opened her eyes and looked to the mountains. "heading north. That's going to lead them to the Wyrm Pass."  
"Wyrm Pass?" another of the soldiers questioned.  
"it's supposed to be a crevice infested with giant Wyrms that can eat an entire group Starlight's size in one gulp."  
"you're sure?" a 3rd soldier asked.  
Screw Ball gave her a mean look. "I spent 20 years in a mental hospital thanks to my mom. I had plenty of time to look at maps."  
Glade walked up and stopped beside her. "Thanks for your assistance." he walked past and headed for the pass. His soldiers walked after him.  
"Wait." Screw Ball said. Glade and his soldiers stopped. "Just… who is this Starlight character? Why are you after her?"  
Glade and his second-in-command looked at each other. They could tell her; they already told half of Baltimare. "Starlight is suspected of attacking and destroying the Royal Canterlot Museum the same night she ran away from home."  
Screw Ball gasped. "she did?"  
"She's suspected." Glade said. His face frowned. "I'm… hoping it's not true."  
Screw Ball felt sympathetic. All her childhood, she was hoping her mom would become sane and they would leave. The original Screw Ball was crazy until the day she died. Now here's a captain of the royal guard, hoping his cousin didn't turn mean and stayed the same innocent mare she was.  
It was more then enough for her to make up her mind. "well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going." she said.  
"what?" Glade asked. "what are you talking about?"  
"well, I wouldn't feel right if I let a criminal go free. Plus, I…" she paused as she worked up the courage to say it. "I… know what it's like to lose a family member to horrible stuff."  
Right. Her mom succumbed to insanity. Glade forgot that already. He sighed as he gave in. "okay. You can come. But when danger comes, you find a safe place to hide, got it?"  
Screw Ball nodded. She felt honored to finally help someone, and a captain at that. "got it."

Using her magic, Pumpkin looked a map over. "hmm… looks like Bass is right. Only way to the north is though the Wyrm Pass."  
"The Wyrm Pass?" Fire Ruby asked. She turned to ask her sister, "what's a Wyrm?" Filigree wondered that herself. She never heard of them before.  
"Wyrms are giant, serpent-like Worms big enough to eat a group our size in one gulp." Erys said. Soarin' gave her a odd look. "I read a lot of books."  
Season's Edge looked up to the sky. "well, I don't think it's a good idea at this time."  
"how so?" Woona asked.  
"Well, for starters…" he pointed up to the sky. "the sun is almost gone. You really want to cross a pass filled with giant monsters in the middle of the night, do you?" nobody replied, seeing his point. "plus, we're likely going to spend all day trying to find a passage in a snow covered pass."  
Windancer spread her wings. "why don't we just fly over?"  
"and what about all the Unicorns and Earth Ponies in the group?" Peppy said.  
"un… we carry them? Duh."  
Sym face-hoofed. "Wind… some of us weigh A LOT. And it would take 2 or 3 fliers to carry just one of us. No, best bet is to set up camp."  
"well, it's Starlight's journey. She should decide." she turned to ask but stopped and just looked with a smile. Starlight had fallen into a little nap, her head slumped on Bass' back. "I think we're setting up camp." Wind said with a light chuckle.

The sun wasn't completely down when the group had set up camp. Nothing special, just tents, sleeping bags and some pots and kettles for dinner. Starlight was set down in her's and Goldie's tent, Bass being careful not to wake her up.  
"(heh. She's cute when she's sleeping.)" he thought. He tip-toed out, careful not to wake her. "she is out like a light." he said to the others. "Though, I don't blame her. That Chaos Gun chap, running for half of the day. It exhausted even me. He sat down and sighed, glad to be off his hooves after a full day of walking. Everyone ignored him as they were talking to each other, or rather whispering. "un… hello?" they continued to ignore him. "Guys?"  
"Shh!" Goldie snapped.  
Bass felt a little irritated. "Hey!"  
"Whahahahahat!?" Pound said, starting to get really annoyed by this guy.  
Bass lightly backed up out of irritation. "Whoa! Sooory, Dr. Cox. I was just curious to what you guys were talking about."  
The gang looked at each other. "well, if you must know, we're thinking on how to bring her back." Marian said.  
Bass scratched his head in confusion. "bring who back?"  
"Starlight. Who else?" Golden Day said.  
"bring Star-" Bass's mind came to a realization of what they're talking about. "wait, you're not seriously thinking on taking Starlight back to Ponyville, are you?"  
"that's the whole reason we came here." Sym said. "we're gonna bring her back home, hopefully before Glade gets to her."  
Bass couldn't believe what he was hearing. "heh. Are-are you stupid in the head or something? Didn't you hear what Starlight said? She's going and you can't stop her."  
"which is way we're planning on for-"  
"Don't go any further!" Bass infuriately said. "You can't force her to go back! If you do, she'll just run away again and hate you till the end of time!"  
"But we can't let her go though with this." Erys said. "if someone finds out she's a Alicorn, they'll kidnap her and force her to do unspeakable things. And if they find out she has powers over time…"  
"Which is why I'm here!" Bass sharply said.  
"You?" Marian said in a comedic tone. "Pbbt. We hardly know you. Why should we listen to you?"  
Marian had a point. He barely knew them. And he only knew Starlight for 4 days. But he didn't care. "Because I care about her." he sternly said. "I care enough to let her go and find out the truth for herself. And if any bad ponies come to try and take her, I'll protect her."  
"but you-"  
"if you want to take Starlight back, you're gonna have to go though me. I may have only know her for 5 days but I know that when she's determined, she will get what she wants."  
"but she's too-"  
"Starlight told me her life story not long ago. She told me that she was stuck to just Ponyville and Canterlot, that she was never to go to other cities, that she wasn't allowed to practice magic. That's probably another reason she ran, because of all these restrictions her family put on her. She's going to do find these answers and I'm going to help her because I was raised to help people in need. You don't like it? Tough!"  
Bass stormed off, not wanting to hear another word from them. He could tell they weren't going to listen. Funny thing is that they did. They only knew Bass for a few hours but he was willing to help someone he barely knew. They all looked at each other with concerned expressions, not sure where to go with what he said and this situation. Marian, however, wasn't so convinced. She felt like this guy had another agenda.  
Though her tent flaps were closed and she was still half-asleep, Starlight still heard Bass's entire shouting fest to her friends. Only he was willing to help her. The others want to drag her home. When did her life get so chaotic?

Night soon fell on them and everyone retired to their tents after a light dinner. They shared 2 to a tent; just siblings together, though non-siblings, like Peppy and Windancer, shared a tent.  
Bass, still angry that Starlight's friends would've come all this way to take her back, slept outside under a dead tree. Out of loyalty, Peewee joined him to help keep him warm.  
He was just about to close his eyes and drift into dreamland when he heard a tent-flap open. He cracked open one eye and looked down to see Starlight sneak out of her tent and head away from the camp. She didn't have her saddle-bags so she couldn't be leaving.  
"so where is she going?" Bass wondered.

Starlight flew down into a small outcropping not too far from the camp but far enough away to where she can do this in private. The outcropping was illuminated by lava flowing far enough underground to where it can melt the snow and ice up top but not hot enough to where it would hurt her hooves. In fact, the ground was the perfect temperature.  
Perfect for her to practice in secrecy.  
Bass slowly snuck up to the edge of the outcropping. He laid down on his stomach and looked in. "what are you up to, Star?" he softly muttered.  
Starlight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She concentrated all her power into one aspect.  
Her Cutie Mark glowed, as did her body. A glyph shaped like a clock's face, complete with numbers and hands, stretched out, covering the entire bottom of the outcropping.  
The young Alicorn was lifted up by a unseen force and she didn't fight it; she welcomed it. 2 streams of light came from the middle of the clock face and swirled up beside her like a strand of DNA.  
Bass was completely stunned when he saw that display. "wow." he gasped.  
Starlight opened her eyes, which glowed bright. She arched her back and flapped her wings.  
A powerful and bright shockwave emanated from the clock face and extended out a long ways, covering the entire area. The bright light forced Bass to cover his eyes but he didn't take his vision off of Starlight. His eyes quickly adjusted and he continued to look. What happened next surprised him.  
The hands on the clock face began to move backwards. It was slow at first but quickly picked up speed.  
The outcropping seemed to reverse in time as rocks and pebbles that fell suddenly shot back to where they came from. The flow of the lava underneath seemed to flow backwards to the point it disappeared. Plants grew out of the ground and instantly became full grown cypress trees. Bones floated out and became animals such as deer and birds again.  
This small area, which was covered in snow, sleet, and ice went back in time hundreds of years, now becoming a green and luscious area again.  
The clock face glyph went away and Starlight stopped glowing. She hovered down to the ground. She stood on her feet for a moment before keeling over and fainting.  
"Starlight!" Bass exclaimed. He climbed over the edge and skidded down the side of the outcropping. He reached the bottom and ran to her. He skidded next to her and picked her head up. "Starlight! Hey, Starlight!"  
Starlight stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Bass looking right at her. "hey, Star. You okay?" his voice said, echoing though her mind.  
Starlight felt a scratchy feeling in her throat. "eh… ah… Bass? What are… what are you doing here?"  
"I saw you sneak out. Wha- what did you do?" he asked, gesturing to the work she just pulled.  
Starlight groaned and sat up, holding her head. "I… I reversed time 500 years."  
"you reversed time?" Bass gasped. "but… but you said you couldn't go back in time."  
Starlight tried to get back on her feet but keeled over again. "I… I can't. I can reverse time, but only for dead plants or trees. This was the first time I tried a area and animals."  
Bass looked around and lightly chuckled. "well, I say you did well. Everything's green and living. You sure this was the first time you did it?"  
Starlight panted as she laid back. "positive. I didn't think I was this powerful."  
"why do you think that?"  
Starlight slowed her panting. She opened her eyes and looked up into the night sky. "cause… my mom forbad me to practice with my powers."  
"yeah. You told me that before. She didn't want you to get kidnapped by bad ponies like that Chaos Gun fella so she forbad you from practicing your powers over time."  
"well… without her knowing, I snuck out during random nights and went into the Everfree Forest to practice in private. And, I became as powerful as you saw now. Of course, this is the best I can do."  
"still… this is very impressive." Bass said. He reached down and picked up a flower. It was a species of red lilacs long thought extinct from the world. Same held true for the birds. They were a species of robin with a white tuff on the tail. Very rare today. Bass weighed the lilac in his hooves for a moment then walked over to the Alicorn of Time.  
Starlight heard him coming and looked in his direction. He bent down and messed with her hair. She blushed out of nervousness. "W-what are you doing?"  
"just one more…" he found a good spot and put the lilac in Starlight's hair. It looked like fire but it didn't act like fire. It encompassed the flower for a moment but didn't burn it. The fire reclused back and left it alone. "there you go."  
"What was that for?"  
"well, the princess' have all that jewelry and whatnot. I figured that you being a Alicorn, you should have something iconic too."  
"but Erys and Woona don't wear jewelry and their Princess'."  
"True, but Erys has her hair in that bung and Woona has a bracelet. I figured you should have a flower. Makes you unique."  
"oh. Well, that's nice of you."  
"I try." Bass yawned loudly and held his hoof to his mouth. "boy, am I tired." Starlight felt the same way as she yawned as well. "let's head back to camp before the others get suspicious."  
"Good idea. Hate to suspect what Goldie would think if she saw us in this place by ourselves." Bass lightly chuckled. He started back first with Starlight not far behind. She trotted up to catch up to him. "You know, if it's too cold out, you can bunk with me and Goldie."  
Bass was shocked to hear her say that. "you… you sure?"  
"Yeah. I own you for saving me in Baltimare and I feel like this is the best way to do it."  
"oh. Well. Thanks."

From the top of the outcropping, Marian watched Starlight and Bass have their little heart-to-heart. She was furious with Bass for trying to make them off of their plan to get Starlight home and for trying to get close to her. It's obvious that he doesn't really care for her; he's just using her to get to her power, which has grown exponentially over the years.  
Her Alicorn Amulet briefly glowed red, as did her eyes. She had to get rid of him one way or another.


	18. Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville II

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 17

Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville II

The train from Manehatten rolled towards Ponyville. Onboard was a sister one of the Mane 6 hasn't seen in a LONG time.

"I… I don't know about this, Applebloom. I wasn't exactly the best pony to be around." Applebloom's companion said, digging it's fore-hooves into it's thighs.  
The grown-up Applebloom, with her bow now tied around her neck instead of in her hair, turned to her and sighed with a chuckle. "trust me, they will. I love you and I'm sure they'll love you too."  
"Are you sure? You didn't exactly tell anyone in any of your letters. You're being as cautious as I am."  
Her companion had her there. Applebloom nervously chuckled as she scratched her neck. "well… true. But that was only because I couldn't think of a way to explain it over a letter. But maybe meeting you and Crown in person is the best way to introduce you."  
Applebloom's companion sighed. "If you say so."  
Applebloom seductively chuckled and kissed her companion. "Trust me. It'll be okay. Besides, I'm sure my friends won't make a big spectacle." she paused for a moment. "Well, Babs Seed might." her companion chuckled. Applebloom chuckled as well.

It was a spectacle. Least it won't be for awhile.  
Upon learning from Sweetie Belle and Rumble that Dinky, Scootaloo, and Applebloom are coming to Ponyville today, their sisters and mother's couldn't help but get overly exited.  
Since Sugarcube Corner was too small for the 'welcome home' party they were planning, they moved it to the library.

"Oh, this is going to be awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She hasn't seen Scootaloo in a long while, it felt like forever.  
She still remembers all the trouble she went though with Manni Peddi just to adopt her and Draconequus Eris. Man, that was rough. And having to deal with Discord in the mean-time wasn't pretty. Boy, it sucked that Manni died not long after Scootaloo graduated from High School. Scoots took it hard. Dash thinks that's why she left for Feather Top with Feather Weight.  
"I hope so." Applejack said. "it's been a long time since we've seen them. I just hope they remember us."  
"Sweetie Belle remembered Rarity after all this time." Derpy said as she flew up and hung some streamers. "I'm sure Dinky and the others will as well. Besides, it's only been 6 years. I doubt they'll have forgotten us that fast. I mean, eTu`nes hasn't seen me in 8 years and he turned into a giant homicidal beast but he never forgot about me, nor I for him."  
Applejack and Dash looked at each other. Not… the best way they would've put it, but she had a point.

"So when do they get here, Sweetie Belle?" Twilight asked her young sister-in-law.  
"Well, Dinky, Scootaloo, and Babs should be here soon. Applebloom… is gonna be a little bit late."  
"late?" Applejack asked, overhearing it. She walked over, causing Zilver to fall off the ladder. "why is she going to be late?"  
"well, due to what Babs told me, she had some trouble getting her special somepony to come along. Apparently, her special somepony was really worried with coming."  
"Why?"  
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "your guess is as good as mine."

A knock came from the door, causing everyone but Twilight to hide. "what, is this a surprise party?" eTu`nes asked, not really sure why they're hiding and his mouth full with a twinkie. Derpy didn't answer as she dragged her behind a table.  
Twilight walked over to the door, turning off the lights in the process. "Who is it?"  
"it is a very cold reporter and a equally cold archeologist and apple farmer." Scootaloo first said.  
"now open the door, we're freezing!" Dinky and Babs exclaimed.  
Twilight opened the door and the 4 grown-up mares, along with 2-full grown stallions, walked in. "Man, it is surprisingly cold out there." Pip said.  
"no need to tell me twice." Feather Weight said. "but why is it so dark?" he found the switch and flipped it on.  
Everyone burst out of hiding and cheered, "WELCOME BACK!"  
Naturally, it caught them off guard, though Pip may have hammed it on. They all smiled wide and everyone burst out laughing.

"Oh, it's been too long, Scoots." Dash said, hugging her adopted daughter.  
"I know, Mom. It's been a long time, too." Scoots said, hugging back.  
They hugged for a long minute before breaking. "why didn't you tell me you were coming?"  
"well… I wanted it to be a surprise."  
"And surprised I was. And look at you, a full-blown reporter."  
Scoot's didn't mention that she was a reporter. "you saw the report on that destroyed museum?"  
"yeah. I have to admit, you're a pro." Dash turned her attention to Scoot's hubby. "thought I wish you would've told me you were getting married."  
"Eloped, actually." both Scoots and Feather Weight said.  
"it was her idea, actually." F.W. said. "and I didn't complain. I loved her too."  
"who said we were complaining?" Storm Shadow asked. "me and Dash eloped and we couldn't be happier."  
"we know." Scoots said with a smile.  
Dash grabbed a cupcake and bit into it. "So, how's Feather Top been treating you?"  
"it's been great." Scootaloo said with genuine enthusiasm. "So many people, so many buildings. So many sights and sounds. It's cool."  
"anything happen while you were there?" Shadow asked.  
"Plenty. I got a job at GNN; the worlds biggest news program, and Feather Weight works at Feather Top's biggest newspaper and also doubles as my camera man at times." "but the biggest one was Zaltan dieing." Feather Weight said.  
Dash and Shadow hadn't heard that. Their hearts sank a little bit. Zaltan, the former king of the Gryphon Kingdom and father to Dash's friend Gilda, was Equestria's most trusted ally. Thanks to his help, they were able to find the spell that turned them back into Ponies after Trixie had foolishly turned them human and gave Celestia his forces to win the Winter War. Without his help, they've would've lost long ago. He also married Dash and Shadow in a private ceremony with just them 4, Gilda, and Gilda's boyfriend Jason; their version of eloping. They didn't even tell the others until they got back.  
"Oh. We… hadn't heard that." Dash said. "how… how did he go?"  
"Natural causes." Scootaloo explained. "Died in his sleep. He just… didn't wake up. Gilda took it the hardest. She wouldn't eat for 4 days. Thank goodness Jason was able to pull her back on her feet in time for her coronation."  
"Coronation?"  
"yeah. Gilda's queen of the Gryphon Kingdom now."  
Dash whistled. But also felt saddened that neither Scoots or Gilda would write to tell them what had happened. Well, Gilda she can understand because she is now the new queen and all; she has a ton of responsibilities now. But Scoots? She wrote every week; why stop when that happened?

"surprised to see you here, Babs." Applejack said, giving her niece a gentle hug.  
"I know. I'm surprised too, Aunt Applejack." Babs replied. "but, when Applebloom insists I come along after a full month of begging, you tend to come along."  
"hahaha. I know that. She can be very persistent." A.J. looked around for a moment. "where is she, anyways?"  
"she's right behind me, time wise. She had some trouble trying to convince her special somepony to come."  
"Applebloom has a special somepony?" Zilver asked.  
"yeah. And they already have a kid. Well, she's the special somepony's but Applebloom doesn't care."  
Applejack smiled. That sounds like Applebloom, all right. "well, wait, who's the special somepony?"  
Babs went 'eh…' for a moment. "she… wants me to keep it a secret until she arrives. She wants to surprise her friends, though her special somepony is nervous as hell."  
"why?"  
Babs chuckled. "not at liberty to say. But do you want to meet my wife?"  
"wife? You never let on you were a Filly-Fooler." Zilver said.  
Babs shrugged. "what? Things can change." she gestured to her wife, who was at the buffet table, to join her. She did just that. "you remember Silver Spoon, right?"  
"Silver Spoon?" Applejack and Zilver surprisingly said in unison.  
Silver Spoon nervously blushed and scratched her cheek. "you do remember me, huh?"  
It was hard to forget that she and her friend Diamond Tiara were some pretty nasty bullies to Applebloom and the others. Babs likely didn't know that when she married her. "y-yeah. H-how did you two meet?"  
Silver shrugged. "just by random. We were both wandering though Manehatten when we happened across each other at the theater. 3 years later, we got married."  
"oh. Well, they say love comes from anywhere." Zilver said.  
"Do you know what happened to Applebloom?" Applejack asked. "Does she know about this?"  
"yeah, she does. And she approves." Babs said.  
"no. I meant, what happened to her? I heard that she left Manehatten a few years ago and moved to Trottingham to open up her vet practice. And you said she was right behind you."  
"well, our trains left at the same time, but Trottingham's farther so, technically, she is right behind me, but Trottingham is closest in terms of mountains to cross and..."  
Ugh, all this fancy mathematic talk was hurting Applejack's and Zilver's brains.

Derpy hugged her daughter as hard as she could, not wanting to let her go. "OH, you have no idea how much I missed you!" Derpy squealed.  
Dinky was trying to avoid getting her neck constrained by her mother's python-like legs. "Yeah. Nice to see you too, mom. I can't breath, though."  
Derpy chuckled nervously and let go of her daughter. "sorry."  
"so why didn't you tell us you left with Daring Do and Silverbolt?" eTu`nes asked.  
Pip shrugged. The only way he could best describe it was, "it was just a spur of the moment thing. She offered, we accepted." he said in a much more mature voice then he had when he was a colt. "Plus, Daring is so cool."  
"I can't blame ya." the dragon said. Dinky sighed and rolled her eyes. She used her magic to pull over a cupcake and bit into it. "Un… Dinky, don't you think you should cut back on the sweets. You're starting to get a bit chubby."  
"Chubby?" Dinky and Pip looked at each other, then chuckled warmly.  
Derpy and eTu`nes were confused by their laugh. "um… what? Did we miss something?" Derpy asked.  
Dinky's chuckled faded and she put her cupcake down. "um, Mom. There's something you should now." she smiled wide, having wanted to tell her for a long time. "Mom. Dad. I'm pregnant."  
A full 10 seconds passed, which to Dinky and Pip felt like forever, before Derpy happily gasped and smiled wide. "Oh!" she hugged her daughter again. "OH, My baby's having a baby! OH!"  
"Mom…" Dinky choked. "This can't be good for the baby."  
"Oh." Derpy quickly let her go and dusted off Dinky's shoulder.  
"Congratulations." eTu`nes said, shaking Pip's hoof.  
"Thanks." Pip replied. "When we first found out, we were freaking out big time. The baby wasn't planned; he was a accident. But, like with Twilight and Starlight, sometimes the best things come though accidents."  
Derpy didn't care about that and was more focused on the small details, close to the point of hyperventilating. "when is it due? Is it a boy or a girl? Is it a unicorn or a Pegasus or…"  
"mom, mom. Calm down." Dinky said. Derpy stopped hyperventilating and took a deep soothing breath. "I've having twins, a boy and a girl, which are due any day now. And I don't know what species; I want that to be a surprise."  
Derpy still couldn't believe it. She still remembers when Dinky was still a little filly, running and playing with her friends. Hard to believe she's already having kids of her own. Happy tears filled her eyes and she wiped them away. "mom, you okay?" a concerned Dinky asked.  
"Yeah, just un… just happy for you. Really." she really was.

A carriage rolled up to the library and stopped in front of it.  
"still not sure this is a good idea." Applebloom's companion said.  
"Trust me. It's gonna go fine. They'll love ya." Applebloom walked out of the carriage. "just wait here until I call you in. boy, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon are going to be surprised when they see you."  
"I'm sure they will."  
Applebloom turned and headed to the door.

Applebloom opened the door to find that everyone was having one hell of a time partying and chattering. Applejack finally noticed her after a full minute.  
"Applebloom!" she exclaimed. She ran over and hugged her little sister. "It's been far too long, squirt."  
Applebloom didn't fight it and hugged her back. "nice to see you too, Sis. Been a long time, hasn't it?"  
"yeah. At least 4 years." Applejack and Applebloom hugged each other again. "So, what's up? Anything new happen to ya?" she asked, trying to hide that she heard that heard from Babs that she had a special somepony.  
"nice. Helios is doing great, looking after the ol' homestead outside of Trottingham. Being a Vet is quite the paying job. Speaking of which…" Applebloom reached back and pulled out a bag of bits, which she tossed to Applejack. "here. I heard that the farm wasn't doing so good."  
"it wasn't. and thanks. This'll help."  
Applebloom stayed quiet for a moment, not sure how to say this next part. "Listen, Sis. There's something I have to tell you."  
"what?"  
"Well…"  
"APPLEBLOOM!"  
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs dog-piled on her, causing them to fall over onto the floor. Feather Weight, Pip, Dinky, and Silver Spoon just watched with wide smiles as they swarmed Applebloom. "Oh, it's so great to see you!" the 3 of them all said.  
Applebloom was also ecstatic to see her friends again. "yeah. It's good to see you guys too." Applejack rolled her eyes and got them off before they could smother her to death.  
"So what's the deal? You stopped writing 11 months ago. Why?" Sweetie Belle asked.  
Applebloom scratched her cheek. "well, I was… busy."  
"Busy?" Pip asked. "busy with what?"  
"Eh… getting married, for one."  
A.J. angrily frowned. "You got married and didn't tell me?"  
"well… yeah. Sorry, Sis."  
"I just wish you told me."  
Applebloom put her hoof around her sister in a friendly way. "Tell you what, sis. Next time I get married, I'll be sure to invite you. Okay?" she said in a joking manner.  
"Applebloom…"  
"I'm serious."  
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "So, who's the lucky stallion?"  
Applebloom paused for a moment. "Eh… he's a mare."  
"a mare?" A.J. said with a confused eyebrow raised. "you never let on you were a Filly-Fooler. Though that would explain why you could never keep a guy for more then a month."  
"I know. I didn't realize it until I met back up with her."  
"met back up?" Dinky muttered to herself.  
"So. Who's the lucky mare?" Feather Weight asked, not hearing Dinky's suspicions.  
Applebloom thought on how to reveal who it was. "well… it's probably better if I show you."  
"Show us?" Dinky asked.  
"yeah."

Applebloom lead her friends and her sister Applejack out to the carriage. The others stayed at the party because, well, it's a party. And a Pinkie Pie party, with some help from her friends.  
"What's going on, Applebloom?" Pip asked. "what can't you tell us?"  
Applebloom stopped in mid-step. She turned her head back to them. "listen, she's… nervous about meeting you all. She didn't really leave things on a pleasant note with you guys."  
"pleasant note?" they all muttered.  
"and please. Don't freak out when you see her." Applebloom pleaded. Everyone, not really sure what she's going on about, nodded in agreement.  
That was all her companion needed as she opened the door by herself. to everyone's surprise, including Applebloom's former CMC friends, Applebloom's wife was none other then…  
"DIAMOND TIARA!?" they all yelled in surprise.  
"hi… guys." a nervous and surprisingly meek Diamond Tiara said.  
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Dinky were shocked to see that Applebloom is married to Diamond Tiara. She was the worst bully ever. She'd make the kid from the game look tame.  
"Applebloom, how can you be married to her? She was the worst pony in school!" Scootaloo exclaimed. Knowing full well this was a argument for them alone, Pip, Feather Weight, Babs, and Silver Spoon backed out of the picture.  
"I know that…" Applebloom started, knowing what she was talking about. "but if you-"  
"no no no. we want to know what was going though your mind when you decided that marrying Tiara was a good idea!?" Sweetie Belle demanded.  
"She was-"  
"just what was wrong with you?!" Dinky also demanded.  
Applejack couldn't believe what she was hearing. "now hold on just a cotton-picking minute! I can't believe what I'ma hearing here. My sister found happiness with a pony she loves deeply and all you have to say is that she's messed up in the head?! Just what is wrong with you?"  
"but she was…"  
"I know Diamond Tiara was a bad bully back when you all were fillies but people can change over time."  
"not Tiara!" Scoots sternly said. "once a bully, Always a bully!"  
Diamond Tiara tried to fight back the tears but couldn't. she didn't want them to see her cry so she ran off. "Tiara!" Applebloom called out. She angrily looked to her friends. "What is wrong with ya'll!?" she exclaimed. "Tiara did change but you're so focused on the past that you can't accept the fact that she did change! You didn't though a fit when Babs married Silver Spoon!"  
"Because she didn't know her the way we did!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Tiara and Spoon were horrid bullies and you know it."  
"Yeah, I do. But I was able to overlook it!" A.B. angrily sighed. She turned to run after her wife when she stopped in mis-stride. She angrily looked back to her 'friends'. "Tiara has enough bad things in her life and she doesn't need this piling on it."  
Applebloom left her so-called friends behind and ran after Tiara, leaving them confused by her last comment. "what bad stuff?" the 3 of them said, wondering what she meant by that.

Applebloom found Tiara in their hotel room, softly crying into a pillow. The yellow mare sat down next to her and comforted her.  
"I knew coming here was a bad idea." Tiara softly cried.  
"I know and I should've listened. I was really hoping they would've gotten over the fact you were a bad bully and just accept you. I mean, my sister did."  
Tiara raised her head from the pillow. "true. But they still hate me."  
Applebloom stayed quiet. They sure didn't show any love for this. Least A.J. was supportive, although she wasn't happy of not being invited to the wedding. A idea then entered her mind, something that might work. But first, she had to find a filly that had disappeared. She didn't have to look far. Heck, she didn't have to look.  
"Mommy!"  
A little golden filly with Diamond Tiara's hair ran out of the closet and piled onto Applebloom. Applebloom played along and fell onto the bed.  
"Hey there, you little giddy squirt!" Applebloom chuckled.  
"hey there, Mommy." the filly calmed down enough for Applebloom to put her down. "why was Mom crying?"  
Applebloom and Diamond Tiara looked at each other. "Eh… it's a long story, love." Tiara said, wiping the last of her tears away. She used her magic to pull her up. "Come here, my little Silver Crown."  
Tiara's magic tickled Crown as she pulled her over. Applebloom snickered evilly. She ducked down beneath the covers, pretending to be a ghost. "Ohh. Ohh. I am the ghost of hotel's past."  
Crown laughed as a little girl would. Tiara lightly chuckled at this. "I have come to warn you that pretty soon, your mother will be kissed by a yellow mare." Applebloom pocked her head out of the other side and kissed Tiara on the lips.  
Crown exclaimed like the toddler she is. "Mommy! A ghost came and told us Mom was going to be kissed by you!"  
"Really?" Applebloom played along. "did he say anything about the tickle monster?"  
The cheer on Crown's face was replaced with fear. "oh, no. no, not the tickle monster!" Applebloom laughed evilly then lunged at her daughter. Crown yelled as she ran into the closet and locked it.  
Applebloom jumped back onto the bed with a wide smirk. "I can't believe the plan worked. Now we're alone."  
Tiara seductively chuckled and cuddled up next to her. "Really? Well then…"  
The two of them shared a passionate kiss which Crown saw and, "OOH!"  
"Silver Crown!" both Applebloom and Diamond Tiara said.

Applebloom, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Crown quickly fell asleep in each other's hooves. In doing so, they forgot to close the door to their apartment, which had a few ponies in the doorway.  
"Look at them. So peaceful. So… at peace." Dinky said.  
"That's the same thing, Dinks." Scoots said.  
"I couldn't think of anything else. So sue me."  
Sweetie Belle felt horrible for yelling at Applebloom back then. "Maybe… we were being a little too rash. We didn't really listen to what Applebloom had to say about why she and Tiara ended up being wife and… wife."  
Her friends somberly nodded in agreement. They were pretty mean, not wanting to even give Tiara a chance. Given how perfect Applebloom's image is, they should at least try. For her sake.


	19. Wyrm Pass

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 18

Wyrm Pass

The next morning, the gang woke up and packed up their camp. They had less then 5 hours till they arrive at the Wyrm Pass, the only way to the north, where the Necromancer; a sorcerer skilled in the art of dark magic, resides. A sage who can answer all of Starlight's questions.  
During the night, Bass saw that Starlight's power over time was more powerful then she let on, seeing her use her powers to turn a small icy outcropping back into a green, animal filled zone that it was 500 years ago.  
Bass, naturally, was stunned, but also worried. Before, Starlight's friends told him that they were planning on dragging Starlight back to Ponyville, against her wishes. Bass was angry that they would even suggest such a thing and vowed to protect her against them and also lectured them why they would break their friends heart by dragging her away from the answers she wants.  
The gang all thought about what he said but their plan hasn't changed; they were going to take Starlight back home one way or the other. Marian was busy devising a plan on how to get rid of Bass for good. She saw him and Starlight get a little too friendly after she cast her spell and found it infuriating. She was convinced that Bass is just using Starlight for her power and will do whatever she will to get rid of him.  
She's completely unaware that her Alicorn Amulet, given to her by her mother Trixie when she was just a filly, was putting those thoughts in her head.

Starlight fiddled with the red lilac Bass put in her hair. Nobody had ever done something like this for her before. She felt… happy at the gesture. She only knew him for 5 days but to her, it feels like she's known him for a lifetime.  
"…so 5 hours until we hit Wyrm Pass, right?" Fire Ruby asked.  
Bass shrugged. "I think so. I'm just guessing, you know. I've never been there myself but I did hear stories."  
"I think you told us before but I forgot what you said about it." Peppy said. "mind telling us why it is called Wyrm Pass?"  
Bass tried to remember what he heard about it. "well… if seen from above, it looks like a giant, slithering worm or snake- Some kind of a long, serpentine animal. Also, it's said that giant Wyrms- massive lizard-like worms - reside in that area. And reason number 3: there's a BIG cave painting of a massive Wyrm, dating back to when ponies still lived in caves. I only saw pictures of the picture but it is big, or at least that's what the 30 ponies standing in a row show."  
Pound whistled in amazement. "now that is big."  
"and the pass is supposed to be longer then the painting, WAY longer then the painting." Bass continued. "And It's supposed to be a accurate size to what a Wyrm would look like."  
"Supposed to?" Sym asked.  
"yeah. Rumor has it that the Wyrms died out long ago, about 500 years ago, because they couldn't adapt to the cold. Least, that's what the stories say. Ground rumbling just as someone is walking over tends to make people think there's still Wyrms around."  
"wait, there're still Wyrms?" a lost Cotton asked.  
Bass shrugged. "I don't know. Guess we have to wait and see."

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Pretrovsky- Mass Effect 3: Omega OST.

A portal of dark fire briefly opened up on top of the pass' icy roof. Chaos Gun strode on out with a confident demeanor. This plan was bound to work; how could it not? It was so simple, it would be idiotic if it didn't work.  
He looked to the distance, to the direction of Baltimare, and saw Starlight and her group approaching the pass. She didn't give up after all.  
"Perfect." Chaos Gun smirked.  
He used his magic to summon up a jar, containing a caterpillar-sized lizard-like work in it. "*Sigh* poor Volvagia. The last of the Wyrms." his super ears picked up the sounds of burrowing underneath the ground, not far away from the pass. "Or maybe no."  
The jar's top twisted open on it's own. Chaos flipped it over and the Wyrm fell out to the ground below.  
"go and feed, Volvagia. Me and my master have plans for that girl Starlight and you're going to help. Make her come to us; leave her no other option."  
Chaos Gun disappeared in a flash of dark fire.

End Song.

The gang arrived at the Wyrm Pass, most of them impressed with how large it is. The cavernous maw alone is 100 feet wide and 100 feet tall; more then big enough to turn them all into lunch, if it was alive. And ponies say that this was a accurate description of a Wyrm. If that's true, then they should stay as far away as possible from a real live one.  
"That is HUGE!" Golden Day exclaimed, having never seen anything like it.  
"how big did you say this was, Bass?" Pumpkin asked.  
"I didn't. I told you all I know about the place when we approached." he replied.  
"no, I meant how long till we reach the other side?"  
"same thing."  
Starlight walked towards the entrance. Goldie thought with worry, trying to think of something that would make her turn back to Ponyville but she couldn't. "Come on, Goldie. You're gonna lose your sister forever unless you do something." she worriedly muttered under her breath.  
Sweet Song yawned, trying to keep her eyes open. "can we just do something. I didn't get much sleep with Peppy kicked me in her sleep. I swear, she destroyed my back."  
Starlight sighed. "Whatever. Let's just get going."  
Goldie whined in desperation. She had to try something. She had no choice. She grabbed the nearest and smallest stick she could, stuck it down her throat, and threw up.  
"Goldie!" Starlight ran over to her 'sick' sister. "are you okay?"  
Goldie faked a stomach-ache to sell it. "Oh. I think I ate something bad during camp last night." she pretended to gag. "we have to go back to Baltimare and get me to a hospital."  
Bass wasn't buying. Ever since they told him their plans to take Starlight home, he has been weary of anything they would pull. He looked around and quickly found the barf-covered stick.  
"Starlight…" he bent down and held up the stick. "Seems Goldie is pulling your leg."  
Starlight gave her sister a scowl. Goldie chuckled nervous, then quickly got up. "huh. How about that? All better. Guess I don't have food poisoning after all."  
She began to walk to the entrance when Starlight sternly called out to her. "Goldie…!"  
Goldie stopped in her tracks and gulped. "uh…" Starlight headed over to her.  
Whatever argument they were going to have was interrupted by the untimely arrival of one captain of the royal guard.  
"Starlight Sparkle!"  
Starlight and her friends turned around to see Glade and his soldiers walk up to meet them. Screw Ball stayed as far back as possible, not wanting to get in the middle of this.  
"Glade." Starlight gasped. He arrived faster then she expected.  
"You are under arrest for the destruction of the Canterlot Royal Museum!" he turned his attention to Bass. "And you, Bass Clef, are under arrest for the kidnapping of a member of the royal family."  
"Destruction!?" Starlight exclaimed.  
"Kidnapping?!" Bass also exclaimed.

Begin Song: watch?v=MH2rmAikhX0 Volvagia Boss Theme - Orchestrated by ZREO.

Starlight slowly shook her head. "Glade, I'm not sure who said what but I didn't destroy a museum-"  
something bright red passed underneath the ice but with everyone focused on these 3, they didn't notice. Well, Screw Ball did. "um, excuse me." she softly said.  
"-and Bass certainly didn't kidnap me!"  
"nonsense! I know what I saw back in Baltimare! That earth pony, the wanted criminal, took you away and made you jump from a cliff!"  
"To get away from you! I didn't want you to stop me!"  
"Stop you? From getting away with destroying a public building?"  
"To stop her from finding her real father." Bass intervened.  
"Bass…"  
"She's all the way out here trying to find answers that have been on her mind all her life and I'm going to help her; it's how I was raised. You take her back, she's going to hate you."  
Glade flared his wings. At the same time, the red mass passed underneath. "if you could just listen for a moment…" Screw Ball softly said.  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Bass. Starlight is coming home. It's for her own good!"  
That part angered Starlight. For her own good? Not knowing who her father is, not knowing why she's a Alicorn? That's for her own good? The ground beneath her lit on fire for a brief second. "Who are you tell me what's for my own good?!" Starlight yelled. Her eyes briefly turned red and green with wisps of purple fire coming out the sides.  
The red mass passed again. That's it, Screw Ball thought, all bets are off. "GUYS!" she yelled out. It got their attention, for a brief second.

Something large burst out of the ice and up into the air. It stopped 55 feet up, which was about the entire length of it's body, and roared.  
"WYRM!" one of Glade's soldiers yelled.  
The Wyrm, or rather a baby Wyrm, turned in the direction of the yell and roared in that direction. The red flying serpent with a dragon-like head retracted back into the ground and dug in Glade's direction.  
There was no way they could defeat a Wyrm. They haven't been seen for 500 years; training for combat against these things have been canceled for 400. "Run!" Glade ordered. He and half of his squad spread his wings and took to the air. The Pegasi guards picked up the Unicorn members and Glade picked up Screw Ball.  
The Wyrm burst out of the ground and tried to snatch Glade out of the air. He missed and burrowed back into the ground.  
Starlight unfurled her wings and flew right for it. Her friends followed not far behind her, wanting to get away from the monster.

The group entered the pass's entrance, running right past the painting of the largest Wyrm in existence. The painting and the living one sure share a resemblance.  
Marian looked back and saw that Bass was lagging behind a bit. She glanced up and saw icicles dangling from the ceiling. The Alicorn Amulet glowed, telling her to do it and she did.  
Making sure no one was looking when she did it, Marian fired a beam up into the ceiling, hitting the largest one there.  
A loud popping and cracking sound followed, filling the entire cavern. Starlight looked back to see Bass running towards them and the icicle about to fall. "Bass!" she yelled out as she flew back to him.  
Bass, while still running, looked up to see the ceiling split apart and the icicles fall. he barely had enough time to move. Starlight swooped to him in time and picked him up. "Thanks for the save." Bass said.  
They both heard roaring and looked back to see the Wyrm chasing the guards into the cave. "Don't thank me yet." Starlight said. She flapped her wings and flew harder.

The Wyrm roared as it slithered though the air, chasing the ponies in the cave. The Unicorn members of Glade's squad fired at it but all they did was blind it with light spells. and even then, it only lasted for a few seconds before it's eyes quickly adjusted.  
Glade heard the ceiling shatter and looked up to see the roof of the cavern crack open and cause ice and rock to fall towards them.  
"CAVE-IN!" he yelled, his voice carrying though the cave. Starlight's group looked up to see the ceiling start to collapse.  
"We should turn back!" Peppy said.  
"And risk getting eaten by the Wyrm?" Woona said, looking back to it. "I'll take my chances with rocks and ice."  
The Wyrm clapped it's jaws shut just inches away from Glade's tail. He felt the near-death experience and kicked into overdrive, flying as fast as his wings could let him.  
A sizeable boulder of rock and ice crashed in front of them, cutting off the entrance to the cavern. "So much for exit 1!" Filigree yelled.  
"Just keep running!" Season's Edge yelled.  
The monster is right on top of them. He opened his mouth, ready to breath fire and turn them into BBQ…  
Then the cavern caved in.

End Song


	20. Scattered

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 19

Scattered

The first thing Starlight did when she woke up was cough hard. A whole lot of dust entered her lungs and she coughed to get them out. She hacked up a lung for a full 30 seconds before she felt that it was all gone.  
"*cough cough cough cough cough* gh…. Oh, gods. *cough cough* oh, Faust."  
She wasn't the only one suffering. Bass, who also survived as well, hacked up a lung as well. "Agh! Oh, Geez. *cough cough cough*."  
"Bass!" Starlight got up and headed over to him. "You okay? *cough cough cough*"  
Bass groaned and winced as he got to his feet. "Y-yeah. Cave-in did a number on me."  
Speaking of the cave-in, it's safe to say that the cavern was pretty much destroyed. Bass and Starlight were able to survive thanks to a whole lot of luck. The rocks and ice missed them completely.  
"Are we the only ones who survived?" he asked.  
She sure hoped they weren't. she doesn't want her little sister to be dead, or any of her friends to be dead. "I don't know. I hope not."  
"*cough cough* same here." he rubbed his throat and got up.  
Starlight tried to use her magic to clear the rubble but it wouldn't move. Wherever they were, they were trapped good. "Goldie!" Starlight called out. No reply came. Starlight adopted a defeated expression. She can't be dead. She can't be dead. "GOLDIE!" still no reply. Starlight fell to her knees, out of fear that her sister and her friends are dead.  
"Starlight?! Is that you?!" Eris Shine called out from the other side. Her voice was muffled but Starlight heard it clearly.  
"Eris!" she happily called out. She got up, trying to find where her voice was coming from. "Where are you? Are you okay? Are the others alive?"  
"We're fine. Pumpkin broke her front-right leg but that's the only big injury here. Everyone else got away with a few scrapes and bruises."  
"What about Goldie?"  
"I'm fine, Sis." Goldie called out. Starlight breathed a sigh of relief. "I got a cut on my back but it wasn't deep. I'll live." Starlight silently thanked Faust for that. Other then her mom, Goldie was her whole life. Star spent most of hers raising her little sister. "How about you? Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. Me and Bass are fine." she's fine and they're fine. What about their cousin? "What about Glade? Is he over there?"  
"No. don't worry, his barriers are the strongest among us. And with the Unicorns in his squad, it's likely they survived."  
"What do we do now?" Season's Edge asked.  
What do they do now? They were trapped inside a caved-in cavern that's over 1000 feet long. She doesn't want to say it but their situation looks hopeless.  
"Starlight." Bass said to get her attention. The Alicorn looked in his direction. The earth pony was pointing to a opening in their surroundings, barely big enough for them to squeeze thought.  
That gave her an idea. She turned her attention back to her friends. "IS there some sort of opening over there?"  
"An opening?" there wasn't a response for awhile, leaving Starlight and Bass to think that their friends on the other side are trapped. "yeah, there is."  
Starlight silently breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Follow that. Whichever side of the cavern you find yourself on; Baltimare or the Arctic, just go on ahead."  
"What about you guys?" Soarin' Cloud asked.  
"Whichever side we come out on, we're gonna keep going on. My wings are still good so if we end up on the Baltimare side, we're gonna continue on."  
Goldie was the next to respond and she wasn't so sure about this, and it showed on her voice. "But Starlight…"  
Starlight sighed and held back a tear. "Goldie… I don't want to see you hurt! Just go on home."  
"Oh, isn't this just sickeningly sweet."

Begin Song: watch?v=5UhgjncjOTc Oleg Petrovskey- Mass Effect 3: Omega OST

Starlight gasped when she heard that voice. "Oh no!" she looked back to see Bass in a battle pose, facing down the pony who was in the shadows.  
Chaos Gun walked out to them, as confident as ever. "You!" Bass snarled. "What are you doing here?"  
Chaos Gun smirked. Hopefully, they'll buy this story. "why, I was just passing though when the cave-in caught me- and you and your friends, it seems. I was barely able to get off a barrier spell when I got hit by a boulder that pinned me down. It seems it also saved you all as well."  
Starlight powered up her magic, ready to take him down but the whole ordeal left hit tired. She tried not to show it externally but her weak and shaking hooves gave her away.  
"Peace, Starlight." Chaos Gun said. "if I wanted to take you, I would've ever since I woke up. Besides…" he tapped his horn, which had a crack running up and down it. "…I won't be able to use magic. I may have speed and strength but without magic, I'm dead in the water. And speed and stretch won't help in a place like this." Starlight wasn't buying it and pooled more power into her magic. "how about a truce?"  
"Truce?" Bass exclaimed. "like we're gonna work with you! You tried to kill us in Baltimare!"  
"Kill, abduct; what's the difference, really?"  
Starlight didn't want to admit it but Chaos Gun had a point. It was thanks to him and his barrier spell that they're still alive. And it's not like he's going to try anything with them trapped like this and his horn cracked. "what kind of truce are we talking about?"  
Chaos Gun lightly smirked. "We work together to try and get out of here. With my speed, Bass's strength, and your magic, we have a chance to leave before another cave-in happens or that monster shows back up."  
"That thing survived?" a unbelieving Bass exclaimed, thinking back to that giant red Wyrm that chased them in.  
"my barrier went to… eh, every organic in here. And unfortunately, that means the monster survived."  
Great. Not only do they have a lack of time thanks to them being in a cave-in, but they also have the Wyrm to deal with. "fine." Starlight agreed. "we work together so we can escape the cave. After that, we go our separate ways, right?"  
"Well… for a day. Then I have to get back to trying to get you for my master."  
Starlight didn't like it; hell, she hated it. But this was better then nothing. Better to have a powerhouse on their side for a while then have him trying to kill them.  
"Starlight? What's going on?" Golden Day asked.  
Chaos Gun gestured Starlight to reply, and she did. "nothing, G.D. we're gonna try to find a way out now. Good luck to you guys."  
"Good luck to you too." Sweet Song said. Chaos Gun slightly froze. "hope we see you soon."  
"Likewise, Sweet Song."  
The last sound the three of them heard from the other side was the sound of footsteps drifting away.  
Chaos Gun's mind drifted back to the owner of that voice; the mint-green mare. Last time they met, he couldn't hit her no matter how hard he tried. That's one of the reasons he faked his injuries; to find out why he couldn't hit her, and why she can't get out of his head.  
"let's get going." Starlight said. She entered the small opening and squeezed her way though.  
Bass was the next to enter but stopped before he did it. He turned back to Chaos Gun. "I don't know who you are or why you're doing this, but try anything funny; anything at all, and you're going for a dip in the nearest lava pool."  
Chaos Gun snickered. "Why would I try something funny in here? We're trapped." he walked by Bass and towards the opening. He stopped before entering. "why would you even care? You barely know Starlight."  
"She's my friend. That's all that matters to me."  
Chaos Gun didn't believe that. There was more to Bass' story then he was letting on. Why would he help a mare he barely knows? Why leave the comfort of his city to help her? Something was off with Bass but he couldn't put his hoof on it.  
Instead of asking, Chaos Gun forced his way into the small opening. 30 seconds later, Bass followed. Better to get out first then instigate a fight that could cause another cave-in.

End Song.

The garbled voices from the conversation gravelly echoed though a barrier cast by Glade and his unicorn solders. It stopped the rubble from crushing them but they were trapped until they find a way out. Screw Ball couldn't understand a lick of it but Glade was able to.  
"Chaos Gun." he angrily snarled.  
"Who?" Screw Ball asked.  
"a black Alicorn that attacked Starlight in Baltimare. He's as vicious as he is scary; sadistic, to boot. He even struck a filly."  
"Oh, dear."  
"And if Starlight is forced to work with him, then the situation is very bad."  
"Worse then ours?"  
Glade and his soldiers looked up. "maybe not quite as bad."


	21. Journeys though the Cave

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 20

Journeys though the Cave

Glade hit against the rubble that formed a wall between him and freedom with his right shoulder. He would've used his magic but he was too tired from the barrier spell he cast, protecting him and his soldiers and Screw Ball.  
"Come on!" he grunted, hitting against the rubble. "Come on!"  
Nobody wanted to tell him but it was looking like a losing battle against the inevitable. Screw Ball sighed in defeat and walked over to him. "Glade… give it up. We're trapped in here. There's no way for us to get out."  
Glade ignored her and continued to slam against the rubble. He wasn't going to give up; not by a long shot.  
"Glade…"  
"no. I'm not going to give up." he grunted as he continued his actions. "my friends and family are with that Chaos freak and I am not going to let them be with him."  
he hit against the rubble again, this time wincing in pain. He fell to his knees, holding his right shoulder in pain. "oh my gosh. Glade!" Screw Ball ran over to his side, beating his top lieutenant to him. "are you okay?"  
"Ah! My… my shoulder. I think it's busted." he tried to look but his neck hurt whenever he tried to look.  
Screw Ball moved his hoof to take a look. It wasn't just busted; it was pierced by a icicle, all the way down to the bone. Screw Ball winced and pretended to feel his pain. "Ow!"  
"What?"  
"eh… it's… it's nothing. Hehe. I'm un…" she gulped and turned back to the guards. "um… anyone know any healing and/or extraction spells?"  
Glade adopted a freaked out look. Healing and extraction? Exactly what's wrong with his shoulder?

Starlight walked on ahead, trying to use her magic to find a way out. She was using a spell her mother taught her that would get her un-lost by leading her out. A 'injured' Chaos Gun and Bass followed not far behind, both keeping an eye on the other, making sure the other didn't try anything stupid.  
"Are we out yet?" Bass asked, whining like a little kid.  
"you're really gonna pull that?" Starlight asked, not losing her stride.  
"Just figured I'd try to lighten things up. Geez."  
Chaos Gun gave a scoffing chuckle. "wow."  
Bass angrily snarled. "what?" Chaos Gun ignored him and walked ahead of him. Bass angrily frowned at him. What does this guy want? He's up to something; he has to be.  
Chaos trotted up to Starlight, who was still leading the way. "find a way out yet?"  
"Does it look like I found a way out yet?" she snapped.  
"Whoa. Testy. What, is it that time of the month?" Without losing focus on what she was doing, Starlight used her magic to summon up a hand that slapped him in the back of his head. "I'll take that as a yes."  
"Faust, don't you ever shut up?!" Bass asked.  
"zip it, you dumb colt."  
"DUMB?!"  
"will you two just SHUT UP!?" Starlight yelled. She has had enough of their arguments and isn't going to listen to more anymore. "like it or not, we're trapped in here and the only way out is if we work together, so I suggest the two of you make nice before I bash someone's head in with a sharp block of ice!"  
That sudden outburst shut the two of them up. They certainly weren't expecting that from Starlight; she's usually mellow. "o-okay." they both said.  
Starlight sighed and shook her head. "sorry. I'm just ornery, what with the monster, the cave-in, Glade pursuing me, and you two arguing. A-all I wanted was to find my father and I wasn't expecting all these set-backs."  
Bass knew how she felt. He had a number of set-backs himself over his life. "Starlight… I-I'm sorry, I forgot." he looked back to their 'companion'. he didn't say anything to him; he just gave Chaos Gun a mean scowl.  
If that was to scare him, it failed miserably. Chaos Gun had no feelings and couldn't be shocked by things like that. But if he has no feelings, then why is the image of that mint-green mare still in his head?

Speaking of said mare, Sweet Song and her friends made their way though another part of the collapsed cavern, trying to find the exit to either the north or to Baltimare. Easier said then done.  
"We're lost, aren't we?" Peppy asked.  
"yep." Electronic Symphony bluntly said.  
"Sym!"  
"What? I'm just speaking the truth. There's no telling what part of the cave we're in now."  
"and it just got worse." Pumpkin said.  
The group had reached a fork in the road; something they didn't expect to come across. It split into 7 different routes, each heading in a different direction.  
"Great. Now what?" Woona asked. "Either route would take us outside… or death."  
This was a bit of a problem, but nothing they couldn't fix, if they put their minds to it. Which Goldie did. Having Twilight for a mother can be hellish at times, what with her obsession for every little detail and wanting her kids to be as smart as her, but they'll admit that some of her learned skills came in handy from time to time. Unfortunately, the trick she had in mind required magic and she was a Pegasus.  
"How about we send two ponies down each passageway?" Fire Ruby suggested. "have them scope each route before we head in further?"  
It was better then just standing around. "hmm… that's a good idea." Pound said. "but how we divide?" he asked Erys. She shrugged, not sure how.  
Woona eyed the passages and counted them out. "hmm… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 passages. What if we split up into groups of 2 and each one goes down each passage?"  
The gang all looked at each other. Better then standing around. "how do you want to split us up?" Marian asked.  
Woona thought about that. "hmm… ah." she flew up to the ceiling and snapped off one of the icicles. "anyone familiar with spin the bottle?"  
"you mean that lame game we played when we were fillies?" Season's Edge asked.  
"yep." she set it down on the ground. "here's how this is going to work: the first two picked by 'spin the icicle' will be group 1, then the next two will be group 2, and so on and so forth. And…" she pulled a crayon out of Fire Ruby's saddle bags and marked all the paths with numbers. "each path will correspond with each group; 1, 2, 3..."  
Windancer blinked in surprise. "wow. That… actually made sense. And it came from Woona."  
Woona chuckled like a idiot. "well, I had to get one right eventually." she used her magic to put the icicle on the floor of the cave.

Glade yelled in pain and agony as the unicorns used their magic to pull the icicle out of his shoulder. "OH, FAUST, THAT HURT!"  
"Sorry, Sir. We had no painkillers." one of his soldiers, a male hazel unicorn said.  
"Could've knocked me unconscious!" Glade snarled.  
Screw Ball sighed and rolled her eyes. "well, what's passed is passed." she reached into one of the soldiers saddle-bags and pulled out some bandages, a needle, and thread.  
Glade was a bit nervous to let her near his wound but he was in too much pain to argue. Screw Ball had one of the soldiers use her magic to put the thread though the needle. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he nervously asked.  
"I was born and raised in a hospital- I know what I'm doing." Screw Ball said in confidence.  
"Technically, you were raised in a psych ward." Glade commented.  
Screw Ball ignored him and went to work stitching up his wound. He winced in pain with the needle going in and out but eventually grew numb to it. He looked back to see her work. She knows what she's doing, so what was he worried about?

After a couple dozen spins, the groups and their routes have been decided. Electronic Symphony & Golden Day are going down route 1, Marian & Windancer are going down route 2, Woona & Cotton down route 3, Eris Shine & Pumpkin Cake down route 4, Erys & Pound Cake down route 5, Peppy & Soarin' Cloud down route 6, and Season's Edge & Filigree down route 7. That leaves one 3 person team of Sweet Song, Fire Ruby, and Goldie going back the way they came to see if they missed anything. The group then split up and went their separate ways but not after Marian used a spell to give them all orbs that act like walkie-talkies that activate whenever someone touches it.

Sym yawned as he and Golden Day walked down their route. "This is boring."  
Golden Day rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sym… do you have to be so lazy?"  
"Who said I was lazy? I'm just tired. I feel like we've been walking for hours."  
Golden Day reached into her bags and pulled out a watch. "we've only been walking for 4 minutes."  
"hours? minutes? What's the difference? All I know is that I'm bored and I want to do something about it."  
Golden Day sighed again. He is hopeless. Just absolutely hopeless.

Marian walked along the ground while Windancer took to the air a few feet above her. The brown Pegasus saw what she did back then and tried to find the words to ask. "Marian… Why did you try to kill Bass?"  
Marian went wide-eyed at first then gave a rasping laugh. "w-what? What are you talking about; I didn't try to kill him."  
Windancer flew down in front of her. "yes, I did. I saw you fire a beam at a icicle directly above him, which also lead to this entire cave-in. the question is why."  
The dressed-up unicorn gulped in fear. She was hoping nobody had noticed. "un… un… I un… I attacked that icicle in hopes it would kill the monster. Guess I, Hehehe, mis-calculated."  
Windancer wasn't buying it. "mis-calculated? Really?"  
"yeah." Marian chuckled nervously. "s-s-s-s-so come on. Let's find us a exit." she ducked underneath the Pegasus and kept on walking. Once she was a good distance away, she silently breathed a sigh of relief. Windancer is asking a lot of questions and she didn't like that.  
Her Alicorn Amulet took it to mean kill her and softly glowed.

"wow wow wow! This is the first time I've been in a cave-in." the hyper Cotton said, bouncing up and down like her mother. Guess some traits are genetic.  
"Same here." a out-of-place Woona said. She was surprisingly calm during all this, which is completely out of character for her. "Just hope we get out of here alive."  
Cotton stopped bouncing and walked along side her. She noticed that Woona was feeling depressed and was showing it on her face. "you okay, Woona?"  
"yeah, just… scared."  
"scared?"  
Woona sighed. "I never told anyone this, but… I'm afraid about dying."  
Cotton went 'Pbbt'. "every ponie's afraid of dying. It's a part of life."  
"Not me."  
That got Cotton to calm down. "what? How so?"  
Woona kept quiet. She didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she spread her wings and flew ahead.

"GLADE!" Eris Shine and Pumpkin Cake called out. "GLADE! STARLIGHT!?"  
Eris gave up and sighed. "what if we don't find a way out; what if we're trapped forever?"  
Pumpkin patted the nervous Pegasus on the back. "we're not gonna be trapped in here forever. We're gonna find a way out. You'll see."  
"What if we don't? what if we die trying to find a way out?"  
Pumpkin gently nuzzled her friend. "then we make the best of it. You'll see. My mom told me that behind every horrid event, there's always a silver lining."  
Eris sighed. "I sure hope so. I really hope so."

Erys and Pound Cake walked down their route; Pound busy trying to find a way out, Erys trying to work up the courage to tell him her feelings.  
"(come on, Erys. Come on, Erys. You can tell him how you feel. It's like pulling off a band-aid; quick and painless. Besides, the worst he can say is no.)" Erys took a shaky breath and steeled herself. She gained speed to reach and tell him how she feels when…  
"AHH!" Erys fell to her knees, holding her head in pain. Pound heard her yell and ran back to her.  
"Erys!" Pound ran to her side. "Erys, you okay?"  
"No." she said with a groan. "no, I'm… AH!"  
"What's wrong?"  
"AH! Headache… very bad headache. They come and go! AH! Mostly coming. Getting more painful every time!"  
The unicorn gulped out of fear, not sure what to do for her. He had no first hand medical experience so he had no clue what to do. "un… un… w-what do I do?"  
Erys whined as the pain increased. "Hold my hoof." she whined. "help me though this." Pound did just that and held her hoof. This was her most painful ordeal, this time adding pains in her stomach.  
"{Come on. Let me out! I want to live my own life!}"

Peppy and Soarin' Cloud… un… they weren't exploring their route. Instead, they were exploring… each other. Their passionate moans filled their route, them being careful not to be too loud.  
They stopped for a moment and looked in each other's eyes.  
"why didn't we do this before?" a panting Peppy asked.  
"because Sweet Song would kill you!" a equally panting Soarin' said.  
"Ah. Right. She has a crush on you."  
The two went back to their… horizontal tango.

Filigree and Season's Edge reached the end of their route, the Dragon/Pony hybrid feeling despaired.  
"Well, that's just great." Season's Edge snapped. "just great. *sigh* better hope the others have had better luck."  
Filigree chuckled. Her fine-tuned hearing picked up the last couple's heated exchange. "oh, someone's getting lucky."  
"Huh?"  
"Nothing, Season. Nothing." Filigree rested on a bench-like piece of rubble and sighed. "sometimes, I wonder if I'll ever find a boy who's good to me." she looked at the Changeling/Pony hybrid. "you ever think about finding the perfect girl?"  
The moody teen scoffed and sat down on the other side. "not really. I don't really care about stuff like that."  
"really? Not a thing?"  
"nope." Season sat back and rested his head on a loose rock. The rock moved inward, surprising him. He quickly got back up and looked back to what he had pushed. Their route began to shake and rumble.  
"uh-oh." they both said.

The last group; Fire Ruby, Sweet Song, and Goldie, and the phoenix Peewee, walked back down the way they came to see if they missed anything. What the fillies had to deal with, however, was Sweet Song go on and on about Soarin' Cloud.  
"…and he's so strong and passionate and kind and caring and lovely and cool and…"  
Fire Ruby yelled out in agony. "doesn't she stop?" she whined to Goldie, holding her ears shut.  
"You're talking about Sweet Song!" the filly replied, holding her ears shut as well. "She's never going to stop."  
All 3 of them yelped when a voice came though their orb. "Hey guys!" Filigree said though hers. "We found a way out!"

Bass groaned, wanting to stop walking. This was pure agony. When Chaos Gun and Starlight were tired with walking, they took to the air with their wings. Something he's not able to do. Thanks to that, however, he was able to spot something the fliers didn't; a glint of light coming though a break in the rock.  
"Hello, sweet freedom!" he chuckled. He looked to the Alicorns and whistled, getting their attention. "WSSSSSSSSSST! Who want's freedom?"

Screw Ball bit down on the thread, cutting it off from Glade's sewed up wound. Glade looked at her handiwork. "nice job."  
"Thanks." not sure what to do with the dirty needle, she tossed it to a unused part of their bubble. She grabbed the bandages and began dressing his wound.  
Glade blinked up to his soldiers, who just looked at him and shrugged. "Un… so. What's it like living in a mental hospital?" Screw Ball gave him a scowl. "un. Just asking. I've never been to one in my life."  
Screw Ball sighed, knowing his soldiers are now curious as well. "well, it's never boring. There's always someone new coming in with some insane disorder." she stopped bandaging as she thought back. "I think the craziest one would have to be my mom. She was just so hyper, it's scary."  
"how did she go insane in the first place?"  
Screw Ball thought back to that as well. "you know, I never bothered to ask. I think one of the nurses told me she was turned insane by Discord; had a propeller hat and everything. When he was sealed and everything went back to normal, mom… didn't. she was sent to the Baltimare mental ward. And 2 years later, I came along. Around the same time those humans arrived."  
Glade lightly chuckled, not at the mental ward but at the humans. Seems they're well know even in a mental institute. He barely remembers them; only knowing what they looked like though the murals in the Throne Room and the Elements of Harmony resting place. All he does remember physically was a purple-haired sage fighting to save equines she once hated. He also remembers he was named after her; Yggdrasill.  
He was so busy reminiscing, he didn't notice when Screw Ball finished bandaging his shoulder. "there. All better."  
Glade looked to his shoulder and flexed it. Much better. "Thank you. Feels better. Nice work, Screw Ball."  
S.B. hated that name. it reminds her of her insane mother. "Screw Loose."  
"huh?"  
"my real name is… Screw Loose. The doctors called me Screw Ball to remind me of where I came from. It's a horrid nickname and I just… I hate it."  
Glade got up and tried out his shoulder. "still, thanks… Screw Loose." the earth pony mare lightly chuckled and smiled. Someone actually called her by her real name. someone really cared about her for her. "now… how do we get out of here?"  
His response came with a deep rumble in the earth, following by a roar. "uh-oh." all 9 of them said.  
The top of their little dome was tore off when the giant red Wyrm dug overhead and though the rubble, making his way to the other side and towards his pray. He didn't even notice them.  
One of the soldiers stuck her head up and watched the monster dig away. "Think we have our way out."  
Glade and his Pegasi spread his wings and flew out. The Pegasi grabbed the Unicorns and flew on ahead. Glade offered his hoof to Screw Loose. "You coming, Screw Loose?"  
The mare gave him a playful look. "like you have to ask." she reached up and took it, glad to finally have someone who treated her for her.


	22. The Wyrm Strikes Back

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 21

The Wyrm Strikes Back

Starlight, Chaos Gun, and Bass Clef all pushed all the boulder separating them from freedom. Blades of light seeped into their cavern from the other side, filling Star and Bass with hope that this will lead them out. Chaos doesn't really care.  
Bass backed up the other side of the cavern, put one hoof on the wall, and charged at the boulder, hitting on the side with enough force to push it further. That little push caused the boulder to give way and fell though the other side, allowing light to pour on though. The trio went though the small hole one at a time to the outside.  
Their eyes quickly adjusted to the light of day, during which they squinted their eyes and held to hoofs up to shade them.  
"About time." a ornery Chaos Gun said. "Feels like I was in that cave for days."  
Starlight took to the air to check their surroundings; instead of icy green grass, there were fields and hills of snow in front of them. That was enough to confirm that she had arrived on the other side of the Wyrm Pass, the side going north.  
"Yet, it's only been 2 hours, crap gun." Bass said with a sneer.  
"Shut up, nobody."  
"nobody?"  
Starlight landed and separated them before they got into a argument. "do you two have to argue every time? We're out of the cave so can you two just calm down?"  
Chaos Gun's and Bass' only reply was them looking away from each other, not even looking at them.  
A nearby explosion caused them to flinch and looked to it's point of origin.  
"Oh, gods! Daylight!" a voice-broken Golden Day said. She fell over a flat rock and sighed with a sputter. "thank Faust." the rest of her tired and beat down friends clambered out, each as tired as her.  
Goldie groaned and fell onto her back, putting her hooves into the air. "Anyone got any water?"

Begin Song: watch?v=jHr_1ff9cqY Dueling the Basilisk - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Soundtrack

0:00.  
Starlight saw her sister as soon as she came out and happily gasped. "Goldie!" she ran over to her, unfurling her wings in the process. As Goldie sat up, trying to find where Starlight's voice came from, she was suddenly snagged and pulled up into the air by her sister, who hugged her tight. "Oh, Goldie! I was so worried I would never see you again!"  
Goldie gave in and hugged her back. "I was worried too, Star."  
A less-then-excited Pound cheered. "yeah. Great. Whoopee. Good for you."  
Starlight gave Pound a mini-scowl. "come on, Pound. Not even a 'how do you do'?"  
"too tired. How do you do later." he said with a hoarse voice. The rest agreed with him.  
Filigree's and Fire Ruby's heitened senses smelled something off with in the group. "What's that smell?" Ruby asked.  
"it's smells like Sweat and Fear." Filigree finished. Peppy and Soarin' looked at each other then back off, knowing they smelled them. Damn their draconian senses.  
Starlight and Goldie shrugged it off and hugged each other again.  
Chaos Gun scoffed at all this lovie-dovie crap. He turned to leave when the ground started to shake.

0:36.  
A big part of the cave burst open and the monster from the deep, the crimson Wyrm that chased them into the cave, flew out. It skidded along the ground for a few seconds before stopping and turning to face the group. It snarled then roared.  
"oh, Come on!" Sym yelled. "we just got out of a nasty cave-in!"  
The monster didn't care. It bared it's teeth and looked them over. Plenty of tasty morsels for him to choose from.  
"Nobody move." Starlight said. "maybe his vision is based on movement."  
They all followed her advice and stood as still as they could. Some were having difficulty as they were half-way up or in awkward poses when she told them to freeze. "Thanks a lot, Star." Sym said though his teeth.  
The Wyrm looked around, as if it was trying to find them. Guess his vision really is based on movement.  
"Got any bright ideas, dark boy?" Bass asked Chaos Gun. When the dark Alicorn didn't reply, Bass looked to see he was long gone. "OH, COME ON!" his outburst caught the attention of the Wyrm, who he forgot was there. "oops."

1:04.  
The 50-foot long serpent-like worm roared as it headed towards him. It's mouth opened wide to turn him into lunch. Bass quickly moved his legs and ran out of the way, causing the Wyrm to crash into the side of the rock wall.  
Bass skidded to a halt and laughed foolhardily. "Haha! Take that, sucker!" the Wyrm shot out of the top like a rocket, causing rubble to rain down. "crap."  
The rain of rocks forced everyone to move to dodge so they don't turn into pancakes. Sym, Fire Ruby, and Season's Edge found a small refuge under a small flat rock barely big enough to hide them.  
The Wyrm roared as it made a beeline for Starlight. "go after Soarin'! he's another flyer!" Goldie exclaimed.  
"I don't think that thing is keen on advice." Starlight said.  
The monster snapped his jaws at the duo, missing by mere inches. He snapped repeatedly but the Alicorn was fast. He snarled and headed down to the ground. He reached and burrowed into the stone.  
Starlight noticed that the monster wasn't chasing them anymore and skidded to a halt in mid-air. "He give up?" Goldie asked.  
No, he did not. The Wyrm burst out of the ground beneath them, mouth wide open. It happened so fast, Starlight didn't have time to react.

1:32.  
Explosions peppered the side of the monster, causing it to go off course and almost sent it into a mountain. It stopped in time, it's snout just inches away. It turned back to the group and snarled.  
"Stay away from her!" Glade confidently said, he and the unicorn members of his troop horns glowing.  
"Glade." Starlight gasped. So he did survive. She was both thankful that he was alive, and fearful that he is still alive and intent to take her back.  
Glade quickly flew up and pushed Starlight away as the Wyrm shot back down. That push made him miss the Alicorn mare. He stopped before hitting the ground, turned around, and snarled.  
"You want to get to Starlight…" the tip of his horn glowed. "you'll gonna have to go though me."

1:48.  
Chaos Gun casually flew away from the battlefield, glad to finally be away from those stupid ponies. His horn, never broken in the first place, glowed bright.  
"haha! So easy and so fun!" he cheerfully said. "Volvagia will tire them out and I can make my move and take Starlight to my master. Hahaha! So good."  
Screams echoed to him, which he took to be music. When a certain mare's scream reached his ear, however, he went wide-eyed and stopped in mid-flight.  
The image of that Sweet Song mare filled his eyes again. He closed them and shook his head. "KYAH! Get out of my head!"  
He then felt a feeling he never felt before: guilt. He was feeling guilty for leaving them. But why? Why does he feel guilty?  
He looked down and lightly tapped the crystal hanging around his neck. What is going on with him?

2:12.  
Peppy yelled as she was pinned by the monster's claws. She struggled to get loose but the monster had her pinned tight. He tightened his grip, breaking a few bones and knocking her out cold. He let go and let her fall, where she is quickly saved by Soarin', who quickly flew away before the Wrym could bite him.  
Marian and Glade wrapped magic whips around both his hands, which did little to stop him. He grabbed the whips and flung the two of them around, flinging Marian into Cotton and Glade into Goldie.  
A couple of pebbles belted him in the back of the head. He turned his attention to the ponies who continued to throw rocks at him. Big mistake. He roared and slithered along the ground to them.  
"Told you this was a bad idea!" Cotton exclaimed as she and the others ran for it. Sweet Song didn't move fast enough and was grabbed by the Wyrm. It slammed and pinned her on the rock wall. She struggled to get loose but the monster's grip was too strong. The monster opened it's mouth wide, inhaled, and reared it's head back, preparing to breath fire.  
"SWEET SONG!" her friends all yelled.

2:44.  
A dark magic whip suddenly wrapped around it's neck and pulled it back, letting go of the mare. It was sent rolling into the peak of a mountain, where a beam followed and blew the top off.  
Sweet Song yelled as she fell. She was quickly caught by a black blur. It stopped flying and she opened her eyes to find that she was saved by, "Chaos Gun?"  
The monster angrily roared and shot towards the Alicorn. He dropped Sweet Song, who fell 5 feet to the ground, turned around, and fired another beam at the monster. It hit him in the left arm, cutting though it.  
The arm fell off, causing the beast to screech in pain.  
"I think you made him mad." Windancer said.  
He did, to the point the monsters eyes rolled into his head and his rage took over.

3:11.  
The Wyrm roared as loud as it could, it's bellow reaching all the way to Ponyville. Without warning, it slithered though the sky violently and wracked Chaos Gun out of the sky with it's tail.  
"oh, he is very mad!" Glade yelled. He and the unicorns in his squad tired him down to try and hold him in place but it was a wasted effort. It quickly broke loose and breathed fire to the soldiers. They all jumped down before the wall of flame hit.  
Starlight powered up a fireball spell and shot it to the Wyrm. It hit it in the face but she remembered that this thing was using fire, so it likely wasn't going to work. It didn't. it flew out of the smoke and grabbed her with it's good arm. It spun around and tossed her into the cavern it came out of.

Bass and Screw Loose ducked behind a rock big enough to hide them. Fire hit the rock, scorching it.  
"This is insane!" Screw yelled.  
Bass agreed but they had to do something, or else this thing is going to kill them.  
The ground shook, causing the mare to fall into Bass's lap. "Sorry." she said as she got up. While doing so, she noticed something that may help them. "how strong are you?"  
Bass raised a eyebrow in confusion.

Glade and Chaos Gun slammed into the monster's gut, making it lose the contents of it's gut. Both their horns glowed and they shot into it's gut, penetrating the stomach and causing further damage.  
All it did was make the monster even more angry. It grabbed them both, roared in their faces, and tossed them into the same cavern as Starlight. The mare was just starting to get out when her cousin and her mortal enemy slammed into her, sending her back in.

4:00.  
"Come on! Push!" Bass grunted. He and Screw Loose relocated themselves to the top of a nearby mountain, pushing a boulder that was on the precipice of falling over.  
"I'm pushing, I'm pushing!" Screw Loose snapped.  
The boulder was so close to falling, they could taste it.

The Wyrm tail-whipped the soldiers that accompanied Glade into the snow fields and sent a fire-ball to them. It hit the area they crashed in, causing a explosion.  
"NO!" Glade yelled.  
The Wyrm turned back in the direction of the cavern and roared.

The area under the boulder began to give way under it's added weight thanks to the earth ponies.  
"It's working!" Bass said.  
"Just keep pushing!"

The monster closed in on the Alicorns and roared in their faces. Starlight covered her ears; she never liked loud noises.

After much time and effort, Screw Loose and Bass were able to push the boulder over the side.  
"Yes!" she cheered.  
"LOOK OUT!" Bass yelled out.

4:30.  
Bass's yell reached the ponies and they quickly scattered.  
The Wyrm, in confusion, looked up to see the rock roll towards it. Knowing it would kill it if it landed, it attempted to flew away. Magic whips from Glade, Starlight, and Chaos Gun kept it from going anywhere.  
The boulder rolled off the mountain and into the air. It whistled as it fell, crashing into the Wyrm. The monster fell backwards, it's head crushed under the boulder's weight.  
It's body continued to squirm for a few seconds before dying.

5:02. End Song.

Back in the safety of his throne room, Sombra watched the fight with the Wyrm. He was surprised to see Chaos Gun help them beat the Wyrm but he supposes that he did it to try and obtain their trust. If so, it worked. Barely.  
"Still should keep an eye on him." he mumbled, remembering that Chaos Gun paused a few times and touched his necklace. Something is happening to his creation. He's just not sure what.

Bass and Screw Loose returned to the bottom and sighed contently, seeing the dead monster. "I can't believe that worked." they both said.  
"nice thinking." Woona panted. "How did you know what would work?"  
"we didn't." Bass said. "it was just pure luck."  
Starlight was the first one back out of the cavern and sighed, seeing that her friends and Bass are still alive. "well, whatever the case, it saved our lives."  
Sweet Song agreed. "but… why did Chaos Gun save us?"  
That WAS a good question. "only way to know is to ask." Sym. "Ch-" he stopped short, seeing that the black Alicorn was long gone. "where'd he go?"  
"Who cares?" Soarin' said, helping Peppy up. "we're still alive and he's gone; let's just be thankful for that."  
Bass trotted over to Starlight. "Glad we got out of this in one piece. Cause this could've gone-" he was interrupted by the soldiers, who survived, who pinned him to the ground.  
Glade walked to him and used his magic to snap cuffs on him. "you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Starlight Sparkle!"  
"WHAT!?" both he and Starlight yelled.  
Glade used his magic to snap cuffs on her hooves and wings. "And you, Starlight, are under arrest for destroying the Canterlot Royal Museum."  
"What?" Starlight disengaged Glade's magic with little ease and walked over to him. "for the thousandth time, I didn't destroy anyplace. And Bass didn't kidnap me."  
Her cousin ignored her and used his magic to pull Bass up. "tell that to Princess Celestia cause we're heading back to Canterlot." he walked past her. "if he's lucky, he'll be executed painlessly."  
Anger filled Starlight's body as soon as he said executed. Without warning, she magically rammed into Glade and pinned him to the rock wall. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" she yelled.  
Her eyes turned green and red with wisps of purple fire coming out the edges of her eyes. The tone of the yell caught everyone off guard. "Bass has helped me more times then you or anyone else ever did and I will NOT LET YOU KILL HIM!"  
Bass was surprised by how passionately she's being. Why is she so concerned for him? She barely knows him. And her friends were surprised as well. She wasn't like this before. Goldie was more afraid then surprised. Her sister's sudden change in attitude scared her.  
"now I will tell you this for the last time: I did not destroy the museum! Bass did not kidnap me! I left on my own accord and I was nowhere near Canterlot!" she let him go, letting Bass fall. "for a captain of the guard, you hardly listen." she turned and headed for the snow fields. Her eyes went back to their normal color, losing the green, red, and purple.  
She used her magic to grab her saddle-bags and put them on her back. She stopped in mid-stride and looked back to him. "I'm going to find my real father, regardless of what you all say." she looked to her friends. "or do."  
Golden Day gulped. "you… overheard us, didn't you"  
Starlight didn't reply. She walked off, leaving them behind. Bass wrested his hooves free and ran after her.  
"she's really determined, isn't she?" Eris Shine asked, knowing full well the answer.  
"yep." they all replied. They waited until Starlight and Bass were dots in the distance before they started after her.  
Glade got up and watched his friends walk after Starlight. He knows Starlight would never lie. But he never saw her eyes change like that. And what was that about her father? He never heard that from his aunts.  
"what now, captain?" one of his soldiers asked.  
For the first time in his job, he had no clue what to do. But he came all this way, so… "we're going after Starlight." he said. "but not to take her back home." he said as he walked off. His troops looked at each other, then walked after him.  
Only Screw Loose remained. "after that outburst… after that battle… they're still eager to go with her." she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "and I guess I'm stupid enough to go along with it." she grabbed her saddle-bags and ran after them.

Chaos Gun hovered above the land, watching them head to the north. "they are really going to go with her after that outburst?" he lightly chuckled. "shows how much I know about them."  
He disappeared in a flash of dark fire.


	23. Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville III

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 22

Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville III

Applebloom stood by her sister's stall in the Ponyville markets, showing Silver Crown the tricks of the trade, with Applejack, Zilver, Big Mac, and Diamond Tiara watching.  
"now, Crown, the key to finding a good, ripe apple is the same way you tell if a Watermelon is ripe." she tapped it with the edge of her hoof. "Ya tap it."  
"Tap it?"  
"yeah, Tap it?" Diamond Tiara added. "I never knew you could do that." she asked Applejack.  
"we don't." A.J. whispered. "it's mostly about luck." Tiara softly exclaimed. "hmhmhm. You're gonna play your daughter for a fool, Applebloom."  
Applebloom heard but ignored her. She grabbed a few apples off the stall. "tell me, which ones are wipe?"  
Crown grabbed the 4 apples and looked them over, tapping them. Zil and Mac silently chuckled. "Ripe. Ripe. Ripe. Rotten." she tossed the 'rotten' one away.  
"Rotten?" the apple family all said in surprise. Crown tossed it away. Upon hitting the ground, it broke into nasty orange parts. "huh. Guess it was." A.J. commented.  
"Can't win them all." Zil said.  
"ew. Where'd this come from?" Scootaloo said.  
Applebloom looked to see her and the rest of her friends there. Friends that hurt her wife's feelings yesterday. "what are you guys doing here?" she asked. "if it's to further berate me, don't."  
"no no no. it's not that." Dinky said. "we… should've have reacted the way we did."  
"We should've listened to the whole story before we freaked out." Pip said.  
Applebloom and Tiara momentarily glanced to each other. "You… really want to hear how me and Tiara met?" a hesitant Applebloom asked.  
Sweetie Belle used her magic to pull up a table and a few chairs. "that answer your question?"  
It did. It took them one argument but they're finally going to hear it and finally see why she fell in love with her.  
"I must admit, but I'm also curious." Applejack said.  
"me too." Big Mac and Zilver said.  
"Then you better sit down." Applebloom said. "This is going to be awhile."  
As the apple family sat down, Tiara bent down to tell her daughter, "Crown, why don't you go and see if you can find some nice picture books at Golden Oaks Library."  
"Okay, mommy." the filly gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek then headed to the library. Tiara smiled and joined Applebloom.  
"So spill. When we were foals, you were mortal enemies." Feather Weight said. "And now you're married with a kid? How the heck did that happen?"  
Applebloom wondered that herself, once upon a time. "well, if you'll remember, Tiara moved to Trottingham with her father when her parents got a divorce, right?"  
"Yeah. That's when the humans were in town." Applejack said.  
"oh, that's what happened to her." Dinky said. "And here I thought the author forgot her."  
The who? "Un… think you're going crazy in your pregnancy, Dinks." Babs said.  
"Anyway…" Applebloom said, getting back to the subject at hand. "…we reunited 3 years ago, when I just moved in with cousin Zim Zam in Trottingham…"

3 years earlier…

Applebloom rested on the couch, having unpacked the last of her boxes. "Ah! Sweet relief." she contently sighed. "my poor hooves need a soak."  
"Your hooves!?" her cousin Zim Zam exclaimed. "you want to talk about course hooves, look at mine!" he exclaimed, holding one up to showcase the blisters on them.  
"ew." a knock came from the main door. Both of them were beat so they flipped a coin and Applebloom lost. Defeated, She got up and headed to the door. "you know, you're never going to get a girl, acting like that." Zim shrugged and plopped down on the couch. Without look, Applebloom opened the door. She should've looked first.  
"well, looks like my vision wasn't deceiving me. Applebloom, here in Trottingham." Diamond Tiara said with a smug grin.  
"Tiara!" Applebloom yelled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
"I live here, stupid."  
"HERE!?" she yelled, gesturing to the house.  
"no, stupid. In Trottingham. I moved here, remember?"  
Oh, yeah. She forgot that Tiara had moved to Trottingham just after the Winter War and when her parents divorced. She and her father moved to Trottingham, the city farthest away from Ponyville. She kept up regular letters with Silver Spoon, who became a friend to the CMC after Tiara moved.  
"I completely forgot about that." Applebloom nervously said.  
"I'm not surprised. You were always the lamest out of your little playgroup. Still a blank flank?"  
Applebloom frowned at her. "Really? You know I got my Cutie Mark when I adopted Helios." she showed her flank, showcasing the crystal-dragons head.  
"Oh, right. That dragon thing. How is it?"  
"he's out back. Look, did you come here to just insult me?"  
Tiara shrugged. "well, that's half of it. The other half is to just say hey."  
That part, Applebloom wasn't buying. "really? Just to say hey?"  
"yeah. First time in years I met someone from Ponyville, much less a friend."  
"a friend? Hahahaha. Tiara. We were never friends. You were a very mean bully, border lining on torturer."  
"Girls gotta have a hobby." the smug 'princess' turned to leave. "see you later, blank flank." she left, leaving a steamed up Applebloom behind.  
She slammed the door shut, grabbed a pillow, and yelled into it. "FAUST, SHE'S PRETENTIOUS!"  
Zim, who had gotten comfortable, looked at her without a care in the world. "I take it you know her?"  
Applebloom removed her head from the pillow. "Know her?" she tossed the pillow. "She basically tortured me during school. Ugh, and I was hoping never to see her again."  
Zim just sat there with a mug of cider on hoof. "if you say so. But fate can work in mysterious ways. Maybe you two were supposed to meet again."  
Applebloom couldn't help but laugh at that. Fate, meeting back up with her? "yeah, right." she laughed.  
"okay. Ignore me. But something tells me you're gonna see her again."  
Applebloom ignored her with a sputter and walked out to check on Helios.  
She should've listened.

The next day was a wet one with a storm raging outside. To save a description, it was raining cats and dogs.  
The mare from Ponyvlle looked out a window to the raging storm. "wow. Remind me to tip the weather team."  
"ditto." Zim agreed. Applebloom went to sit down in a beanbag with a mug of cider when, much to their surprise, a rapid knock came at the door. Whoever's behind it is really frantic. "Who could that be?"  
Applebloom got up and headed to the door. "I don't know." she opened the door and gasped when she saw a beaten and bruised Diamond Tiara standing on the other side. "Tiara?!"  
"I'm sorry, but I didn't know where else to go." she said with a crying shiver.  
"un, come in. come in." Tiara did just that. Applebloom took her coat and put it over the shivering mare. "Un, Zim, think you can make some hot cocoa?"  
"sure." he ran into the kitchen and got started on it.  
Applebloom lead Tiara into the kitchen and sat her down. She wiped the hair away from a bruise and winced. "What happened?"  
Tiara wiped her eyes. "my… my now ex-boyfriend did this to me."  
"Why?"  
Tiara sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "because I said hello to you instead of being at home, doing… doing the deed."  
"unbelievable." Zim said. "he beat you, just because you wouldn't put out? Unbelievable."  
"it's worse." she felt tears run down her cheek but she didn't care. "I found out that I'm… I'm pregnant. With his child." Applebloom gasped. It's just like what happened with Twilight back in Feather Top. "I found out a few weeks ago and he beat me for that."  
"Didn't you tell your dad about this?"  
"he doesn't care. He's so focused on his work, he never cared about what happens to me. I could loose a few legs and he couldn't care. It's been like that ever since I was a filly."  
Tiara was surprised to have Applebloom hugging her out of sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Tiara. I never knew." a realization entered her mind. "wait. Was that why you were so mean to us?"  
The beaten mare slowly nodded. "part of the reason. The other reason is because… I was so alone in life and I couldn't think of any other reason to hang with you all. I knew I had a reputation as a bully and I played the angle. That didn't work out for me, did it?"  
She was a bully… just to hang out with them? Applebloom lightly chuckled. "you dork. You didn't need to do that. You could've just asked 'hey, can I hang with you'? that's all it could've take."  
"I know that now, but I was a filly. We were stupid back then."  
"no argument there." Applebloom chuckled at the antics she and her friends got up to.

Applebloom flicked the light on in her room and pulled back the blankets. "you can sleep in my room tonight." she told Tiara.  
"what about you?" a concerned Tiara asked, walking in.  
"I'll take the couch. It's the least I can do for you." she headed to the door and grabbed the handle.  
"Applebloom…" Tiara said, making her stop in her tracks. "thanks… for helping me."  
Applebloom gently nuzzled her. "What are friends for, Tiara?" she said with a smile. Tiara smiled back.

Applebloom walked downstairs and went looking for blankets. "So how long is your friend going to stay with us?" Zim asked.  
"just until she gets back on her feet, Zim." she found and grabbed a blanket. "she just had her boyfriend beat her and found out she's pregnant. Wouldn't you feel down if that happened to you?"  
Zim shrugged. "you have a point." Applebloom set one blanket on the couch and tossed another one to the other end. "but be careful with her, Applebloom. I met mares like her before and they're likely to be scared by something like this."  
"I know, Zim. My aunt Twilight went though the same thing when I was a filly and she got out just fine."  
Zim yawned out of drowsiness. "if you say so. I'm heading to bed." he headed up the stairs, shutting off the lights behind him.  
"Good night." Applebloom replied. She turned off the lights in the living room, laid down on the couch, and fell asleep then and there.

When Diamond Tiara woke up, she felt horrible. Her boyfriend left and beat her, she's pregnant with his kid, she was forced to stay with a mare she basically tortured as a filly. When did her life turn into crap? A knock came from the door, forcing her to open her eyes. "Who is it?" she said with a course voice.  
"it's the pizza man. Who do you think it is?" Applebloom replied. Tiara rolled on her side, looking away from the door as Bloom opened the door and walked in. "un… Tiara? You okay?"  
"no… I'm not, Applebloom. I just had a… really bad day yesterday and I brought you into it. I'm sorry for that."  
Applebloom chuckled. "it's okay, Tiara. It's okay. What are friends for?"  
Friends… just thinking about that word made Tiara both chuckle and cry. She treated Applebloom like crap but she's helping her. She turned around. "Thanks, Applebloom." she noticed that the mare was carrying a breakfast tray on her back. "You made me breakfast in bed?"  
"yeah. Figured it's the least I can do for you after what you went though." she walked over to give it to Tiara when she stepped and tripped on a teddy bear. Applebloom yelled as she fell, causing the contents of the tray to spill all over and for her to fall face first into Tiara's mouth, kissing her on the lips.  
Both mares went wide-eyed then immediately broke the kiss. They just laid there, looking at each other, turning as red as strawberries. They didn't move; they just stared into each other's eyes.  
"T-Tiara…"  
"A-Applebloom…"  
They didn't move or tear their gaze away from each other.

"it was in that moment that we realized that we loved each other. We loved each other but couldn't bring ourselves to accept it, or even know we did love each other until that moment. It was one of those hidden crushes; We couldn't bare to look away; we never wanted that moment to end." Diamond Tiara said.  
Applebloom took over. "And in that same moment, we ha-"  
Applejack stopped her with a stuttering noise. "ililililili. N-nobody needs to hear that part, do they?"  
"guess not." Applebloom shrugged.  
"the very best moment in our lives came the night Silver Crown was born." Diamond Tiara said.

*flashback mode activate*

During Tiara's 11 months of pregnancy, her's and Applebloom's romance blossomed. Despite having never had a coltfriend or marefriend, Applebloom was quite the romantic; it pays to watch romantic movies. Fancy restaurants, long walks, beautiful nights. Applebloom know how to show a girl a good time. And Applebloom was one of those who had a pregnancy fetish, leading to some wild times in the bedroom.  
It wasn't all fun and games, though. Tiara's father wasn't a supporter of their relationship, saying that he didn't raise her to be a forsaken Filly-Fooler. And Tiara's Ex-Boyfriend, Green Star, was suing her for custody of her foal, who wasn't even born yet and a case he fortunately lost.

{"oh, goodness. We didn't know Tiara." Scootaloo said, she and her friends feeling absolutely horrible by what they said. "And all those things we said…"  
"you didn't know." Tiara emotionlessly said. "I don't blame you."  
A moment of silence fell on them, which was then broken by Zilver. "so, what happened next?"  
Tiara's frown was turned upside-down. "what else? Silver Crown."}

Diamond Tiara yelled as another contraction hit her. "OH, FAUST, THIS ONE WAS MORE PAINFUL THEN THE LAST!" once it passed, she panted with a whimper.  
Applebloom nuzzled her marefriend sympathetically, wishing to do anything to help her.  
As soon as the contractions began coming, Applebloom took Diamond Tiara to the hospital. When they arrived, Tiara was in a lot of pain and was immediately taken to the delivery room. Guess she's one of those ponies who hates pain. A lot. She had been pushing for 2 hours but the foal wasn't moving a inch. (I looked it up because 2 of my characters in my stories; Requiem Trinity and War X, have pregnant characters. The baby not moving happens.)  
Another contraction hit, causing her to cry in pain. "I'm sorry you have to do this by yourself, Tiara." a sympathetic Applebloom said.  
The contraction passed, allowing her to catch her breath. "it's… not your fault. It's that damn Green Star and his libido who's to blame." another contraction hit, thankfully not as painful as the others before.

Applebloom paced back and forth outside the entryway to the emergency room. The baby was in distress and Tiara had to have a C-Section. That made Applebloom nervous; very nervous.  
"She'll be fine, cous. You'll see." Zim said.  
"I sure hope so." she said with a whimper. She stopped and pulled out a box. Within it was a diamond ring. "I sure hope so…"  
The door to their area burst open and wouldn't you know, the bastard himself stormed in. Zim ran out to get the guards, sensing a confrontation brewing. "Where is that bitch!?" Green Star yelled. Applebloom put the box away and got in his path. "get out of my way, bitch!"  
"No!" a stern Applebloom said.  
"No!?" he snarled. "Nobody says no to me!"  
"Well, I just did and so did the court who turned down your case. So, Ha Ha."  
The mare is really starting to get on his nerves. "Listen, you bitch! Either you move aside or else I'm going to break your bones 5 ways to Sunday!"  
Applebloom have had enough of this dumb birds ramblings. "Listen, you dumb Gryphon, you lost your chance to be with Tiara and Silver Crown when you beat her AND sued her. And you also lost it when I came to Trottingham. So shut up and deal with it!"  
Green Star's anger was reaching a boiling point. "You dumb mare! You think you can tell me what to do!?" he kicked Applebloom right into a potted plant. "YOU NEVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'll do whatever I want to that bitch whether you like it or not!"  
"Shut up!" a voice called out. Both the Gryphon and the Mare looked to see, much to Applebloom's surprise, Tiara's father walk in with a couple of cops and Zim. "you gave you the authority to hurt my daughter and to try and take her foal?"  
"I can do whatever I want, you dumb bastard."  
The stallion chuckled. "you really shouldn't have said that." he pointed to the Gryphon. The cops used magic to wrapped magic whips around his wings and legs. "I have a lot of connections high up and I can make sure you're put away for a long time!"  
"You wouldn't dare!" The Gryphon snarled.  
"Try me." he nodded to the cops, who nodded back. They slapped a muzzle on him and took the abusive Gryphon away. He then turned his attention to Applebloom, who got up off the ground thanks to Zim.  
"so you're Applebloom- the mare who's courting my daughter?"  
"un, yes sir." Applebloom said, not wanting to get in trouble with him.  
"you know I don't like Filly-Foolers."  
"n-no sir."  
"I find them to be abominations of nature; freaks, even."  
Applebloom gulped. "I-I know, sir."  
He sighed and chuckled. "but… my daughter seems to love you and you were willing to stand up to her demons. And I admire that."  
"so… what are you saying?"  
"I'm saying that, while I'm not the biggest fans of Filly-Foolers, I won't deny my daughter her happiness. You have my blessing."  
Applebloom took a moment to process that, then happily gasped. "Oh, thank you!" she suddenly hugged him, much to his surprise.  
"but I'm not a hugging kind of pony."  
Applebloom realized what she was doing and let go. "Sorry, Sir."

Applebloom knocked and entered Tiara's room. Inside, Tiara was holding her new daughter with a smile. "Hey." Applebloom softly said.  
"Hey." Tiara replied in the same fashion. Applebloom walked over and looked at Tiara's new kid. She had her mothers mane. Tiara noticed a drop of blood fall from Bloom's head. "what happened?"  
"Huh?" Bloom reached up and wiped her forehead to see she was bleeding. "oh. I had a bad fall. it's nothing big."  
"if you say so." Tiara returned her attention to her new Silver Crown and smiled. "isn't she precious?"  
"yeah. Really cute." the mare cocked her head to the side. "you know, I expected there to be some Gryphon attributes in her, like a beak or something."  
"me too. But… maybe it's for the best that she doesn't know about Green Star."  
"I agree." Applebloom reached back and pulled out the box. "Um… Tiara… there's something I want to ask you and… I hope you say yes." she got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal the ring. "Will you marry me, Diamond Tiara?"  
The new mother gasped. First a child, now a bride. This is the best day of her life; minus all the pain. And she didn't have to think. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you."

*end flashback*

"And… here we are now." Applebloom said. "telling you guys the whole story."  
"wow… it's like fate brought you guys together all those years ago but only did the feelings blossom after a long time apart." Sweetie Belle said. She stood still for a moment then brought out a pad and paper. "that would make a good song."  
Applejack patted her sister on the back. "I raised you well, sis, if you went up against someone like Green Star."  
"it was nothing." Applebloom modestly replied.  
Dinky, however, whimpered in fear. "it hurt that much?" she whimpered, gesturing to the birth, something she herself is going to have to go though any day now. To twins, no less.  
"OH, yeah." Tiara said, not even trying to hide it. "it hurts like HELL! You feel like you're going to die; like your body is going to split apart."  
"I can vouch for that." Applejack said, remembering her own traumatic experience with Peppy. "I didn't think Peppy would fit though such a small opening."  
Dinky whimpered and began to hyperventilate. "Oh, I'm gonna kill you, Pip."  
"and we got a preview. How nice." Babs joked.  
"Dinky. Dinky. Calm down." Tiara said. "yes, it hurts like there's no tomorrow but, when you feel that little, tiny life form in your hooves for the first time and know that you created it… it makes up for the pain in spades."  
That filled the panicking mother-to-be with some hope. "you promise?"  
Applejack and Tiara looked to each other and nodded. "Cross me heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." they both said.  
"Speaking of babies, does Silver Crown know of her father?" Zilver asked.  
"unfortunately, yes." Applebloom said. "he came to the house a few months before we left, ranting a storm about how he's going to get her, no matter what happens. Thankfully, Tiara's father stepped in again and this time, sent him to a mental ward north of Baltimare."  
"Least it's far enough away to where he won't come back sometime soon." Big Mac said.  
"eeeyup." Tiara and Applebloom said in unison.


	24. Heartbreak Cabin

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 23

Heartbreak Cabin

When Starlight and her friends set out into the snow field, they expected to be on the other side in a few days. Apparently, none of them ever took science class, or geography because, at this time of the year, blizzards rum rampant. And wouldn't you know it, they ran into one.  
The blizzard hit them so suddenly, they didn't have time to prepare. Starlight didn't care; she suffered setback after setback on this trip and she's not going to give up now. But determination can only go so far, and effect so many.  
"Starlight!" Woona called out. "Let's stop and find shelter! We're not gonna get anywhere in this storm!"  
"She's right, Star! Let's find a place to stop, least until this blizzard passes!" Bass said.  
"We can't stop now!" Starlight yelled. "We're almost there!"  
Goldie had trouble keeping her eyes open. She always had trouble whenever winter rolls around, having low body temperature and all. For the first time, though, she blacked out and fell into the snow.  
"Goldie!" Filigree yelled.  
Starlight stopped in her tracks and looked back in horror to see her little sister out cold. Glade used his magic to pick her up and put her on her back. "Starlight! We have to find shelter! You don't want Goldie to die from frostbite, do you?"  
She doesn't. that little gal is important to her. She spent most of her life raising Goldie and grew attracted to her, more then sisterhood. "Okay! We need to find shelter! Pronto!"  
A surge in the blizzard hit, causing most of them to stagger and fall into the snow. "I think I remember seeing a house back-a-ways." Peppy said. "Least, I think so! It was so blurry, I could only make out a outline."  
"Better then nothing!" Screw Loose said.

The group doubled back, hoping the find the house Peppy thinks she saw. Half of them are thinking she had gone crazy and was just seeing things and half were hopeful for some shelter in the storm. Starlight just hopes it's there. She doesn't want Goldie to die. Or else, Peppy is going to pay for getting her hopes up.  
In the end, she didn't have to kill her as the cabin was in fact very real.

Season and Sym broke the door in and everyone quickly entered the log cabin. It wasn't anything special; just 3 or 4 rooms, with the main living room being the biggest. There was also a kitchen, a bathroom, and a storage area for food. And screw a freezer, the owner has got one outside. Or the previous owner, as the place is deserted.  
"Better then being out in the blizzard." Sym said.  
Glade walked in and put the shivering Goldie on the couch. While doing so, he saw a good way for them to warm up. "there's a fireplace. We can start a fire and warm the place up."  
"We're on it." Golden Day said as she and Sweet Song went to search the house for firewood. Soarin' and Erys left to see if they can find some food.  
Bass and Marian were the last ones in. Bass shook the snow off of him, some getting on Marian. "man, it's cold! BRR! Hope it's not this bad in Baltimare."  
In her mind, Marian evilly sneered. "Then why don't you go check?" she kicked him out and used her magic to close the door and lock it.  
"HEY!"  
"Marian!" Starlight exclaimed. She ran over, unlocked the door and opened it, allowing Bass to come in.  
"what? It was a joke." Marian innocently said.  
"A very bad one!" Bass exclaimed. Marian playfully shrugged.  
"Found firewood!" Sweet Song happily shouted. She and Golden Day ran into the room, each one carrying a bundle of wood. "there's still a ton back in the food storage. Speaking of which, there's a ton of food."  
"we can vouch for that!" Soarin' and Erys added.

Before long, they had a fire going in the fireplace, which sure did give the place much needed warmth. Goldie was still shivering but not as rapidly. Starlight found a blanket and wrapped it around her.  
"T-t-t-t-thanks, S-s-s-s-starlight."  
Starlight snuggled up next to her sister to help warm her up. "it's okay, Goldie. Guess I was too focused on finding my father to focus on your safety. On everyone's safety."  
"well… we weren't exactly helping." Cotton lightly chuckled.  
"I know." Starlight said. She lowered her head onto her legs. "I know."  
Pound and Pumpkin came in, each carrying as many mugs of hot cocoa as they could. "who wants something warm in their tummy?" everyone, even the guards, raised their hooves. They planned for that and had more then enough ready.  
"You sure you have enough?" Fire Ruby asked, taking her mug.  
"more then enough." Pound said. "we found more then 20 pounds of this stuff back there."  
"you sure the owner won't mind us taking this stuff?" a worried Filigree asked.  
"unless his corpse rises up from the grave, no."  
"Corpse?" Screw Loose asked before taking a sip out of her cocoa.  
"yeah." Pumpkin said. "I took a look outside to see if there's anything we missed and I found his frozen over corpse just out the door. Took no more then a few steps out before freezing to death."  
"yikes." Bass gulped. "s-so, how long do you think he's been dead?"  
Both siblings shrugged. "long before we got here." they both said.  
All that talk about death left them feeling antsy and nervous. What if this blizzard doesn't let up? They could be stuck there for the rest of their days.

Chaos Gun looked at the tube he was born from, that mint-green mare, that Sweet Song, still on his mind.  
"ARGH!" his anger boiled and his horn glowed. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he used his magic to blast the tube, destroying it. The glow diminished and he panted. "why? Why!? Why won't she leave me alone?"  
"I was afraid of this." Sombra walked into the wrecked room and looked at the remains of Chaos Gun's 'mother'. "I was hoping you would've been made without feelings of any kind. Guess I was wrong."  
"what are you talking about?" Chaos snarled.  
Sombra looked back to his creation. "you seem to be suffering from one of the most useless feelings in history. Love."  
Love? He heard it before but he never experienced it. Until now, if what Sombra is telling him is true. "how… how can I be in love?"  
Sombra somberly looked away. "it's a feeling that apparently can't be destroyed. It overpowers everything…" he thought back to that fiasco with eTu`nes 19 years ago. "even hatred and darkness." the Staff of Jeria appeared beside him. "now I have no choice but to kill her."  
Without thinking, acting on instinct, Chaos Gun sprang up and blasted his master. "You touch her and I'll kill you!" the dark Alicorn realized what he was doing and gasped. Did he really just say that?  
Sombra snarled as he got up, staff still in hand. Er… hoof. "Guess the decease spread farther then I feared."  
Chaos Gun yelled and hit himself in the head. Fearing his master's repercussions, he spread his wings and flew out of the room as fast as he could.  
Sombra angrily frowned as his creation fled. This was going to be a problem. A very big problem.

A week.  
The group has been stranded for a week in that cabin in the snow.  
And they HATE IT!  
They exhausted all their game ideas in the first 4 days and are now trying to stave off cabin fever, a task easier said then done.

"I'm BORED!" Goldie exclaimed with a loud groan.  
"We all are!" everyone snapped.  
Peppy boredly tapped her hoof on a globe, causing it to spin. The globe stopped, showing the country of Equestria. "home…" she mumbled. She hated being stuck in here, and everyone else felt the same way. They wanted out but they can't thanks to the blizzard. She went over the dates in her mind, then whinnied in fear when she got to 12/25. "Oh, Geez! Today's Hearth's Warming Eve!"  
Fire Ruby and Goldie looked at each other with 'melted' faces and yelled, "HEARTH'S WARMING EVE?!" they both fell backwards, crying. "All those presents…"  
"how could we have forgotten?" Golden Day said.  
Starlight lowered her head onto her pillow. "well, there's nothing we can do about it. We're trapped in here and we don't have any presents."  
Fire Ruby and Goldie cried louder.  
Screw Loose scratched her head. She never had Hearth's Warming Eve before. "Un… what's the big whoop? It's just a holiday."  
The fillies snapped their heads up and look at her with evil eyes. The stallions and mares, fearing their response, backed away in fear. "What's the big whoop?" they made her way to her. Screw Loose backed herself into a corner and gulped. "WHAT'S THE BIG WHOOP?!"  
One of the soldiers used his magic to summon a bucket of popcorn. "popcorn?" he offered. Bass and Starlight shrugged and reached in to grab some.  
They accidentally touched hooves. "Sorry." they both said. They put their hooves in other parts and took the popped kernels. Woona and Windancer looked at each other and chuckled. They sense something between those two.  
"Hearth's Warming Eve is one of the best times of the year!" Fire Ruby exclaimed. "You get presents, be with the ones important to you. Celebrate love and friendship!"  
Be with the ones that matter… Starlight forgot about that. "How about it?"  
"How about what?" a curious Pumpkin asked.  
"let's have Hearth's Warming Eve here."  
"but we don't have any presents." Goldie whined.  
"So? We still have each other. And wasn't you two who just said that the holiday is so you can be with the ones who matter?"  
The fillies looked at each other. They said that? It was a good idea. "Yeah. Why not? We can play games, have a party." Fire Ruby said.  
"Excellent! Everyone agreed?" Starlight asked. Nobody had any objections. "Great. Un…" she noticed that two of their troop were missing. "where's Soarin' and Peppy?"  
The others just noticed that those two were, in fact, gone. "They couldn't have gotten far. Not with that blizzard raging." Glade said.  
Erys began walking to the kitchen to make her some cocoa. "then let's find them. It's better then-" another headache hit, cutting her short.  
She kneeled over, yelling loudly as she fell to her knees, holding her head. "Erys!" everyone exclaimed. Pound tried to walk over to her. "what's wrong with-" a burst of magic shot out of her, cutting him off.  
"What's going on?" Screw Loose asked.  
"I… I don't know." Woona said. "she's been getting headaches but… but they never did anything like this before."  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET OUT!"  
"Get out?" Season muttered. "is she talking to us?" he asked out loud. Another burst of magic hit, sending them all back a few feet.  
"Erys! Erys, can you hear me?" Starlight called out.  
Erys did here her but she didn't have to say anything or do anything. The headache and the magic blasts went away. She snapped her eyes open and panted heavily. "Erys… are you okay?" Cotton sympathetically asked.  
"y-yeah."  
"What happened?" Sym asked.  
Erys didn't want to explain this to her friends. She was okay letting her cousins know, but not her friends. "Sometimes… I get these headaches and they are very… very bad. And sometimes, I here this voice, telling me to let her out. The magic pulse was new."  
"Voice? What voice?" Sym asked.  
Erys lightly chuckled. "that's right. None of you were alive. And Glade, Pound, and Pumpkin were just babies." Fire Ruby raised a eyebrow in question. "to make a long story short… I was divided into two personalities by Discord; me as my usual self and… a Draconequus named Eris."  
"Eris…?" Eris Shine muttered.  
"while I lay dormant, Eris was out and about, eventually becoming Rainbow Dash's adopted daughter. For a time. Then, Discord came back, one thing led to another, and Dash & Celestia were forced to make a choice between me and Eris, cause 2 of us can't exist. Dash… chose me and sacrificed Eris."  
"How do you know this?" Golden Day asked.  
"I got all her memories when she di- when she vanished. Seems I also have her personality. And now, she wants out."  
"out?"  
Erys slowly nodded. "that's probably why I have these headaches and keet hearing that voice. Eris wants out so she can have her own life."  
The Alicorns of the group looked at each other. If it was possible, they would do it, but they don't know how to separate one person into two people. And their aunties didn't do it, so it's nigh impossible. And from the stories they heard, the only person who could do this was Jax, as she was able to divide Discord and Chrysalis into two separate personalities, but she hasn't been on Equestria for over 18 years.  
Sweet Song walked over to Erys and helped her up. "you want some cocoa? Might cheer your spirits up."  
"yeah. I'd like that."  
Sweet smiled, patted her friend on the back, and headed for the storage closet. "Are you sure you're okay, Erys?" Pound asked.  
"yeah. Thanks for asking, Pound." she said with a smile. Everyone headed back into the living room and let Sweet Song get to work.  
Seeing her friend suffer like this made Starlight's heart sank. There must be something she could do for her, anything. If only hr powers over time were more focused, she could travel back in time and tell her mother's friends what was going to happen.

Sweet Song opened the storage room door and saw something that made her heart shatter into pieces. Soarin' had Peppy pinned up on a wall, kissing her on the lips. When the door opened, however, they just stood there, doing nothing. "um… he was checking my mouth for deceases with his tongue?" Peppy said with a nervous gulp at the end.  
Sweet Song back away out of heartbreak. "how… how could you…?"  
Soarin' put Peppy down. "Sweet, I can ex-" she didn't want to hear any of it. She quickly turned and ran. "Sweet!"  
Without saying a word, and without slowing down, Sweet Song ran though the living room, slammed the door open, and ran out into the blizzard. "What the?" Bass exclaimed.  
"Sweet, wait!" Peppy said, running to the door. Soarin' half-way ran after her but stopped mid-way.  
She has a bad feeling about this. "What happened?" Eris Shine asked.  
"I think, I THINK, that Sweet Song knows about me and Peppy."  
"What? How?"  
Soarin' stayed quiet for a moment. "un… she saw us making out?"  
Everyone groaned, half of them face-palming. The guards, Bass, and Screw were in the dark and scratched their heads in confusion. "You just couldn't keep your libido in check, could you Soarin'?" Sym asked. "you know she has a crush for you."  
Soarin' made a squeaking noise with his mouth. "un… I'd say HAD a crush."  
Peppy ran back in. "I couldn't find her. I think she ran into the storm."  
"oh, this is just GREAT!" Glade yelled though his teeth. He calmed down enough to take charge. "we have to go after her."  
"you're getting no argument from us." Filigree said.  
Everyone grabbed their bags; Soarin' took Sweet Song's, and they ran out into the blizzard after her.

Her heart broken into pieces and her love life destroyed before it even began, Sweet Song ran head-long into the raging blizzard, not caring about what's going to happen. Her life now has no meaning. The tears that streamed down her face turned into icicles as they fell from their cheek.  
A small pillar of dark fire appeared in front of her, forcing her to halt. Chaos Gun forebodingly walked out, not taking his eyes off of her. "You…" Sweet Song gasped. She can see the hatred and the evil in his eyes.  
Without saying a word, both he and Sweet Song disappeared in dark fire.


	25. Windigos

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 24

Windigos

In a small cave inside a mountain in the middle of the blizzard, a swirl of dark fire appeared in the deepest part. The swirl divided into two halves.  
Sweet Song fell out of one and hit the ground on her flank. Chaos Gun came out of the other, hovering in mid air. Naturally, Sweet Song got up and headed for the exit. Chaos used his magic to summon up a barrier, blocking the exit. He cast spells on other openings to prevent her escape. He also used his magic to light up the area they were in.  
"No! HELLO!" Sweet Song yelled, hoping someone, anyone, would hear her. "HELP!"  
"nobody will hear you." Chaos Gun said as he used his magic to summon wood and place it in the center. "we're too deep in the caves for anyone to hear."  
This can't be happening. This can't be happening. That thought raced though Sweet Song's mind as she banged on the barrier, hoping he screwed up with his magic. He didn't. "No. no no no no. there's so much in life I haven't experienced yet..."  
Great. Now she's going to ramble. "(should've sealed her mouth up.)"  
"…I never went to the prom with that special somepony. I never had my first kiss. Never had kids of my own."  
Chaos Gun used his magic to lift her up and pull her over to him. "Will you shut up for just one second?"  
While she is scared beyond compare, Sweet Song tried to put up a brave front. "l-l-listen, you. I-I won't spill where Starlight is."  
Chaos Gun rolled his eyes and put the mare down. "I don't care about Starlight or any of her friends."  
"Then… then why did you kidnap me?"  
"Because… because I want to ask you a question. One I'm hoping you'll answer."  
"a question?"  
Chaos Gun sighed. "what can you tell me… about love?"  
Love? Is he serious? This has to be a trick. Better pry. "Why do you want to know about love?"  
Chaos Gun sighed again. "because… my master created me to be heartless; so no feelings can hinder me. But… seems some feelings crept in."  
"Such as love…" Sweet finished.  
The dark Alicorn nodded. "at first, I didn't know what it was. But… this picture of this mare kept entering my mind and… no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't leave. And my hooves would get sweaty and my heart would beat rapidly every time I thought of her. When I explained it to my master, he told me it was love."  
"So why kidnap me?"  
"Because I'm hoping you can explain it."  
Sweet Song gave a light chuckle. Her? Really? "I don't know what help I'm going to be. I'm not exactly a expert on love. Derpy or Cadence might be, but me? No. besides, I…" the memory of Soarin' and Peppy crept back into her head, causing her to cry. "I just went though a… bad experience with love."  
Chaos Gun sighed. This was a bad idea. He just had to go and act like a idiot. Sweet glanced to him and saw something she never expected to see; despair and loneliness in his eyes, coupled with grief. He feels… heartbroken. "well…" Chaos' ears slightly perked up. "… I guess I can try to explain it."  
"That's all I'm asking." he said.  
A grumbling sound filled the cavern they were in, breaking the somber mood. The two looked at each other. Sweet Song blushed and laughed nervously. "Um… Hehehe. I haven't had anything to eat in hours. Think you can get some food?"  
Chaos Gun spread his wings. "there's a village down the slope. I can go there and be back with food in no time." before Sweet song told him what she's feeling hungry for, Chaos flew though the barrier, which passed over him.  
Sweet Song sat down and crossed her fore-hooves. "could've waited." she muttered. The cold seeped in and she shivered. She noticed the wood and sighed. "Guess I can make a fire or something."

"SWEET SONG!"  
Sweet Song's friends drudged though the blizzard, trying to find their lost friend. Sweet ran away when she saw her crush Soarin' Cloud making out with Peppy, causing her heart to break and run out into the blizzard.  
Goldie shivered up a storm again, regardless of what her friends did to keep her warm. Even Peewee's fire isn't helping her. "Goldie… you should've stayed back at the cabin." Soarin' said.  
"Well, she wouldn't be out here if it wasn't for your libido, Soarin'!" Glade angrily said. "Or if Peppy wasn't such a hussy."  
"HEY!" Peppy angrily exclaimed.  
"Will you please shut up and focus!?" Screw Loose yelled.  
Starlight tripped and her hoof sank into the snow. Bass quickly caught her and helped her up. "Thanks, Bass."  
"it's no prob." he replied with a smile.  
Marian watched the two of them and angrily snarled. That little-goodie-two-shoes shtick may have Starlight fooled but she's not falling for it. First chance she gets, Bass is getting a first-class ticket to Tartarus.  
"Starlight!" Sym called out. "We've been searching for hours! Let's turn back to the cabin!"  
"we can't let Sweet Song freeze to death!" she replied.  
"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that wandering aimlessly in a blizzard isn't a good idea!"  
Soarin' and Peppy agreed with Starlight. "We need to keep looking! It's our fault Sweet Song is out here in the first place." Peppy said.  
"We know!" everyone coldly said.  
"didn't have to say it like that." Peppy muttered.

A unknown but very foreboding and scary sound was carried over the wind. It sounded like a… whinny?  
"what the hell is that?" Season said.  
The whinny came again. It took a few more whinnies but Woona was able to recognize it from all the plays. "oh, no! that's a Windigo!"  
"Windigo?" Screw Loose asked.  
"a spirit of hatred and winter that takes on the form of a pony. They always come to where there is hatred."  
"well, I won't blame them if they come after us." Filigree said. "I think we did some very hateful things."  
"but how can you tell?" Cotton asked. "It could be the howl of the blizzard."  
"it's not. I've seen the Hearth's Warming Eve play multiple times since I was a foal. Trust me; I know what a Windigo sounds like."

Begin Song: watch?v=O4lwpYLlVvM Guardian Boss Music - Darksiders 2 OST

The whinny came again, this time much closer. Very closer. Pretty soon, more joined it and turned into a chorus of death.  
"They're coming for us, aren't they?" Sym asked.  
"Like you have to ask."

Up in the sky, a small break in the clouds opened up just over them. None of them celebrated, knowing what's going to come from the storm. They backed into a circle, those able to use magic powered up their horns.  
Blue masses, counting up to 7, cometed towards the group, each one intent on freezing and devouring them. The masses turned out to me Windigo's. each one snarled and encircled the group.  
"guess you were right, Woona." Pumpkin gulped, her horn glowing.  
One of the Windigos made a move and charged at them. It slammed into, bit down on her wing, and took Goldie up into the sky. "GOLDIE!" Starlight quickly spread her wings and went after her.  
"Starlight, wait!"  
"Look out, Bass!"  
The stallion did look and saw a Windigo coming right towards him. A well placed magic-shot from Season made the winter spirit go off course and crash into a snow drift.  
"Nice shot, Season!" Bass panted. The changeling-pony hybrid didn't reply as he was too busy trying to stay alive.  
One of the Windigo's headed straight for Fire Ruby. The filly didn't notice it as she was busy cowering in the snow. Her big sister stepped in, Flipping over the spirit and bucked it in the back of the neck. The Windigo crashed into a snow drift and Filigree landed.  
Glade's guards fired up into the blizzard, hoping the blind-fire will throw the Windigo's off and even hit one. Easier said then done.  
Glade himself and the other Pegasi took to the air to try and head them off. "Hey, UGLY!" Soarin' yelled out to one of the Windigos. He got the monsters attention, causing it to stop and look at her. "Your mom was a snowman!" the spirit growled in anger and headed right for him. "Guess that worked." he muttered. He made his wings go limb and fell out of the monster's attack.

Starlight flapped her wings vigorously as she tried to catch up with the monster that took her sister.  
"Get back here!" she angrily snarled. The Windigo whinnied and kept flying.  
"HELP!" Goldie yelled out.  
Her Cutie Mark glowed, as did her eyes, and Starlight sent a magic beam at the spirit. It hit it, causing the Windigo to whinny in pain and let Goldie go. The spirit crashed into another one and they fell to the ground.  
Goldie yelled as she fell, unable to flap her wings thanks to what the Windigo did. Starlight stopped in mid-air and barreled down after her. She's not going to let her sister die.  
Starlight flew as fast as her wings would let her. She strained them to the limit, reaching out to grab Goldie. She almost got her at one point but she was falling too fast.  
A Windigo came out of nowhere and rammed into Starlight, taking her up into the sky. Goldie yelled out, seeing her sister be taken away. The last thing she remembers his her world going black.

Starlight saw her sister hit the ground, bounce around, and go limp. "NO!" she yelled. Anger took her eyes as her eyes turned green, her iris' turned red and reptilian, and wisps of purple fire came out the sides of her eyes. A bright piercing glow came out of her body, causing the Windigo to whinny in pain when it's eyes blinded.  
The spirit let her go and flew away. Starlight quickly adjusted and hovered in mid-air. she spread her fore-hooves and wings wide.  
The bright light illuminated the entire area, forcing everyone, including the Windigos, to cover their eyes.  
A shockwave shot out of the powered-up mare and quickly covered the battlefield. It caused the clouds to part and let sun in for the first time in a long while.  
The shockwave hit the Windigos, causing them to whinny in pain and agony. After 40 seconds of that, they all just… blew up. Just small, personal booms.

End Song.

The glow went away, as did the colors in her eyes. Starlight lost consciousness and fell to the earth.  
Bass uncovered her eyes and saw Starlight falling. "Star!" he ran to her.  
The Alicorn was close to hitting the ground, just inches away, when Bass jumped and caught her. The two hit the ground and rolled down a snow-drift and into another.  
Bass coughed as he got up out of the drift. He saw Starlight out cold and went over to her. He shook her, trying to wake her up. "Starlight! Starlight!"  
Starlight lightly groaned and stirred. Her eyes struggled but opened. The first thing she saw was Bass standing over her, the sun's rays right behind her. "B-Bass?"  
Bass breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were dead." Starlight groaned as she got up. Once up, she shook the snow off of her. "What happened?"  
"I… I don't know. I was chasing a Windigo when…" she remembered why she went into the air to begin with. "Goldie!"

Starlight dredged though the snow and found her sister lying face-first in the snow, not breathing and not moving.  
"GOLDIE!" she spread her wings and flew over to her. She landed in the snow and held her up. "Goldie! GOLDIE!" Bass caught up to her just as she's starting to break. "please, Goldie, don't be dead."  
Bass walked over to Goldie, rolled her over, and took a listen to her lungs. "she's still breathing."  
"Thank goodness." Starlight sighed.  
The rest of the group found and ran over to them. "Starlight! Bass!" Erys called out. When they arrived, they saw Goldie being in the predicament she's in. "is she…"  
"She's still alive. Barely." Bass picked her up and put her on his back. "we need to find a doctor, though."  
"A doctor!?" Marian yelled. "Where? There's no town in a wasteland such as this!"  
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't try!" Starlight yelled. "This is my sister we're talking about here! And I'm not about to let her die!"  
"I agree with Marian." Windancer said. "we're out in the middle of nowhere. Where would we find a doctor in this mess?"  
"Well…" Golden Day interrupted. "I heard that there are tribes who make a living up here."  
"Tribes? Tribes of what?" Sym asked.  
"I don't know. I just read about it back in school."  
"we're not going to find a tribe out here in the middle of nowhere!" Marian exclaimed.  
"We have to try!" Bass exclaimed. He walked over to Star and helped her up. "Come on, Star. We'll likely find something out here."  
Marians anger for Bass reached a boiling point. Her Alicorn Amulet glowed red. As Bass headed down snow drift and turned back to help Starlight down, he was suddenly hit by a magic blast that sent him and Goldie flying.  
"you stay away from her, you fake son-of-a-bitch!"


	26. Truth of the Alicorn Amulet

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 25

Truth of The Alicorn Amulet

Sweet Song sighed as she impatiently tapped her hoof on the ice-cold stone floor. Well, it wasn't ice cold. She had a fire going and it slightly warmed the place up. Slightly. Chaos Gun brought her to a cave so she could explain love to him just before he left to get food. She's got a few questions he hasn't answered, like why he kidnapped and asked her. And she doesn't know how to describe love to him. It's complicated and hard to describe. Plus, she just had a… horrible experience.  
Suddenly, the cave rumbled and violently shook. Sweet yelped and hid inside a small outcropping. None of the icicles came crashing down and no flattening sized rocks fell.  
"what the hell?" she muttered as she slowly stuck her head out.  
Chaos Gun flew in, carrying a sack on his back, and landed near the fire. "where'd you go?" he asked.  
"Sorry." Sweet Song said as she crawled out. "a earthquake hit and I hid."  
Chaos Gun looked out the way he came, making sure nobody followed him. "well… I don't think that was a earthquake."  
"huh?"  
"never mind." he used his magic to take the sack off and set it on the ground. He opened it up and fish came out. "Ponies eat fish, right?"  
"un… not really. We're all vegan. Well, Filigree and Fire Ruby aren't but that's because their dad's a dragon."  
"Really?" Chaos used his magic to pull up a cod to his mouth and took a bite. Sweet Song grimaced in disgust. "it's really good. And seafood's supposed to be good for your brain."  
"I'll… stick with kelp…" she said with a groan.  
"Figured as much." he used his magic to bring up a few fruits and veggies. "that's why I got these as well."  
Sweet Song's stomach growled again, causing her to blush and laugh nervously again. "un… I'll take that corn-on-the-cob."

Chaos cooked his fish with the fire, which took longer then what shows would tell you. The fruit and veggies, however, are ready to eat right now. Chaos took a apple and bit into it.  
"So… you like fish?"  
"I like all meat. in case you forgot, I told you I was created."  
"Created?"  
"yeah. Believe it or not, but I'm only a few weeks old."  
"A few weeks?"  
"yeah. I was created using the powerful members of every race; Pony, Dragon, Quarry Eel. My Master even got the DNA of the humans and of the Princess', hence the wings."  
Sweet Song looked at his wings and whistled. "how'd he do that?"  
"he can change shape. He disguised himself as their physician and got their DNA and used it to make me. For the humans… I'm not sure how. I've been told they got their butts kicked all the time so he must've gotten their blood from one of their fights."  
"wow… (he was born just a few weeks ago. No wonder he kidnapped me.)"  
Chaos Gun used his magic to grab the cooked fish and took a bite. "Sure you don't want a bite?" he asked as he offered.  
"I'm good. Thanks." she said, trying to hide her distain. A pregnant pause fell, which made the both of them nervous. Sweet Song was the one to break the silence. "So… what do you want to know about love?"  
Chaos Gun glanced up to her for a moment, then looked away. "nothing much. Just… what is it? Why does it exist? Why do we suffer under it?"  
Just basic information? That's all he's looking for? "Well… I can't explain why it exists or why we, in your words, 'suffer' from it. But I can probably explain what it is." better then nothing. Chaos gestured her to go on ahead.  
"Love is… it's a feeling you feel when you meet that special someone. It's this feeling of… of joy and bliss that cannot be replicated- it can only be felt to truly understand it. It differs for everyone; some just get crushes, like what I… once had, to full on 'palms sweating, image in your head' type of deal. My mom's Lyra and Bonbon told me that when they fell in love with each other, it was the most perfect feeling they ever felt; like… they were meant for each other, that their hearts are beating in unison, that they have the same warm, loving feeling in their eyes.  
"I don't know if I'm describing it right, but… it's just a wonderful feeling you feel when you find that someone your destined to be with."  
"I see… so that's what love is." Chaos Gun pondered the mare's words and took them to heart. "thanks for explaining it to me." he used his magic to dissolve the barriers, letting cold air waft in.  
"Wait, that was it?" a surprised Sweet Song asked.  
"That was it." he got up and threw away his food. "I'll take you to the village down the mountain. After that, you're on your own. And I'm sure you're friends will be there soon enough."  
"if you say so." she got up and shook off the frozen water when Chaos Gun neared the exit. "wait." Chaos stopped in mid-step and looked back. "this mare you're in love with. Who is she?"  
Chaos didn't responded at first. He doesn't want her to know he loves her. "it's someone you know."  
Great. A mysterious type. She hates these kinds of ponies. "can't we just teleport back to my friends? They're probably looking for me."  
Chaos Gun sighed. Going back to her friends, and if he brings her, they'll all think that he kidnapped her. Still, better to stay on her good side. "All right."  
"really? You will? Thank you." Chaos' horn glowed when Sweet spotted a hole in that plan. "Wait. Do you know how to find her?"  
"Of course I do." his horn glowed bright. "just… don't move." within a few seconds, the both of them disappeared in flashes of dark fire.  
Begin Song: watch?v=A6DvxSr6jhc Fate Won't Change, After All - Fire Emblem: Awakening OST

Bass yelled as he and Goldie were blasted into a snow drift by a unexpected attacker.  
"You stay away from her, you fake son-of-a-bitch!" Marian yelled out, her eyes and amulet glowing red.  
"MARIAN!" Starlight yelled. "what the hell is wrong with you!?  
"What's wrong with you, trusting the first brigand you meet?!"  
"Brigand?" she looked to Bass, who struggled to get out of the snow. "Bass is no brigand!"  
"cut the act! He may have you fooled with his goodie-two-shoes act but I'm not fooled. He's only acting this way just to get to your power!"  
"no, he is not! He's a good friend who helped me when I needed!"  
"he's a lowlife who just wants to use you and you're too stupid to notice!" Her amulet glowed again and a nervous Screw Loose and Fire Ruby took notice. "much like that tramp Screw Loose! How do we know that she's trustworthy? She could be playing Glade for a fool just so she can get close to his power!"  
"Hey!"  
Glade put a wing in front of Screw Loose to protect her. "Screw Loose is a valued friend of mine! I don't care if you are the daughter of Luna, Marian, but I will take you down if you threaten her again! I'm not sure what happened to you, Marian, but something is clearly wrong."  
"Me? Something is clearly wrong with you, and this excuse of a Alicorn, if you all think that Bass and Screw Loose are actually out friends!"  
"are you blind, Marian?" a agitated Sym asked. "have you not noticed that they helped us out on more then one occasion? Bass even saved Starlight when she fell."  
"So he can use her powers for his own needs! Can't you see that?!" her amulet glowed again.  
"Um, guys." Fire Ruby meekly said.  
"If anyone's noticing anything, it's you acting like a total nut bag, Marian!" Woona exclaimed. "Why are you acting like this?"  
"Shut up!" Marian snapped. Woona was shocked to hear her own sister say that to her, and in such a hurtful tone at that. "How can you all be so stupid!?"  
"HOW CAN YOU!?" Starlight yelled. "Not only did you injure my friend, you also injured Goldie! Did you forget her!? Did you forget what happened to her?"  
For once, Marian didn't have a comeback. She did forget about her. The Alicorn Amulet thought otherwise. It, and soon after Marian's eyes, glowed red. Fire Ruby was sure she saw that and tugged at Glade. "Did you see that?"  
"I did." he replied, knowing full well she's talking about the amulet. "Marian… this isn't you and you know it."  
"What do you mean?" a peeved Marian asked.  
"it's that Amulet. It's doing something to you, making you angry. We know that you were kind, but ever since this journey began, you've been getting meaner and meaner. And we believe that the Alicorn Amulet is the culprit."  
"that's preposterous. It's a Amulet. It can't control me."  
The 'unimportant' trinket thought otherwise.

End Song.

It glowed a bright red, which got everyone's attention, including Marian's. "What the…"

Begin Song: watch?v=cj107qyeEnY Brooding Omen - Tales of Vesperia OST

A shockwave shot out of the Amulet, sending everyone flying back into snow drifts and pinning them there.  
"Guys!" Marian called out. She took two steps over to them. The Amulet glowed and stopped her in her tracks. She struggled to move but she was frozen solid. "What… what's going on?" she grunted, trying to move. The Alicorn Amulet stuck onto her fur, singeing into it and not letting go.  
Energy poured out of it and into her. "What are you doing to me?" Marian pleaded. She heard a voice in her head; a scary, foreboding, fear inducing voice that felt as though it slithered though her soul.  
"You… are my new body…"  
4 tendrils shot out of the amulet and turned back to her. "No." she pleaded. The tendrils came regardless. "no no no!" they hit, causing her to scream.

Trixie and Luna simultaneously felt something horrible happen, causing their hearts to sink and turn whatever feeling they were feeling before into pure dread.  
"what was that?" Trixie asked, holding her heart as if it was stabbed.  
Luna felt the same, and even more so. "Nothing good."  
Something horrible happened to their kids. They just know it. This feeling always comes when something bad happens to their children.

The rest of the gang moaned and groaned as they woke up. Whatever that shockwave did really knocked them out.  
"AAAHHH! AH! AH! AHHHHH!"  
"MARIAN!"  
They all got up and ran to her, only to be sent back by another shockwave. This one dug into the snow and instantly evaporated it, turning the ground beneath it into green grass with flowers. When the group got up again, they looked up in fear.  
"Marian…" Woona gasped.  
Marian screamed at the top of her lungs as she was dragged up into the air in a red sphere, made up of swirling energy emanating from the Amulet.  
"MARIAN!" Starlight and Glade called out.  
The mare's only reply was a loud and painful scream: "AAAAAAAHHHHHH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
"why is that thing doing this to her?" Windancer asked, more worried then all of them.  
"I don't know!" Glade said. "But whatever it is, it can't be good!"  
Cotton looked to the screen. "when it's this author, it's never good." Woona gave her a confused look.  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Marian called out. Her cape and hat, which were given to her by her mother, caught on fire. Using Marian, the amulet got rid of the cape and hat and sent them away. Windancer flew up and quickly caught them and put them out.  
The amulet glowed brighter, causing Marian to feel more pain. "NOOO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAA-"  
her scream was cut short when a cracking noise filled her mind. Her body went limb and her voice went silent.  
The glow died down and she lowered to the ground. The sphere didn't go away and it kept on swirling, though at a slow pace. She gracefully landed on the ground and just… stood there.

End Song.

"Marian?" Windancer slowly and cautiously walked up to her.  
"Be careful. No telling what will happen here." Glade warned.  
Windancer ignored him. "Marian? Are you okay?"  
Marian snapped her eyes open, her iris' having turned red. A invisible force struck Windancer and set her flying back several hundred feet.  
"Marian!" Woona exclaimed.  
Marian glanced up at her sister and smiled evilly. "I'm sorry, but Marian isn't here right now." a very different voice said.

Begin Song: watch?v=AVU2897jFYE The Evil and Powerful Trixie Boss Battle Theme by KingSpartaX37

Hearing a different voice come out of Marian's body was… disconcerting for her family. "Who are you?" Woona asked.  
Marian, or the being who had taken control of her, used her magic to pull her over. "Luna… no. you're much to young. And full of life. Hmhmhmhmhm. Don't tell me the bitch had gone and had children."  
"Who are you?" Glade asked.  
Marian tossed Woona down with a mean sneer. "so curious, aren't you? Well, if you must know, I am the terror of the night. I am the Queen of darkness. And… if you can think it over, I am, technically, your mother."  
"Mother?!" Woona exclaimed, her head deep in the snow. She pulled it out and shook her head. "can't be. Our mother's are Trixie and…" Marian's parasite gave Woona a mean sneer. "Oh no. no."  
"What?" Filigree asked.  
"Mom and Aunt Twilight told us how Mommy was possessed by a demon pony, turned her into a powerful monster know as…  
"Nightmare Moon!" Marian, or rather Nightmare Moon, finished.  
"but… but that's impossible." Starlight said. "We all heard the stories; You were destroyed for good by the humans."  
"sad, but true. I was eradicated. That's why I made this Alicorn Amulet while I was still in control of Luna and hid a piece of myself in this omnipresent amulet and sent it away before that vile Celestia sent us to the moon. I just needed a host then I could be, somewhat, back in the reins. But, waiting for 1000 years in a glass case is tiring. but imagine my surprise when my first host in over a millennia happened to be the whore Trixie, the just-then new bride to Princess Luna and soon to be mother to Marian. Unfortunately, she only used it once to put on one quick show, not nearly enough time for me to take control. But imagine my surprise when she passed it on to Marian. It was too good to be true. Unfortunately, this little bitch was much too young; all that childhood innocence getting in my way. I was locked dormant until she reached the ripe ol' mature age of 18, just 2 weeks before your little trip, you abominable reject."  
"abominable reject?" Starlight repeated.  
"We don't care!" Glade said with a snarl. He powered up his magic and prepared to fight. "let Marian go or face the consequences."  
Nightmare Marian mocked him by going, 'blah, blah, blah.' "In case you forgot, you dumb foal, I am not really back. I'm controlling your cousin. If you attack me, you're really attacking her." Glade snarled in anger. Nightmare Moon is as devious as Aunt Luna said she was.  
The possessed Marian rose up into the air, fore-hooves spread out wide. The sphere glowed brighter and spun around more violently then it did before. "still, 1000 years can leave you with such a krink in the neck and I don't want to get my revenge on Luna and those miserable humans until I work them out. Luckily, I see a few good test dummies down below."  
The Unicorns and Alicorns of the group, minus Starlight, got ready to fight. Even if it was Marian, they aren't going to let her be under the control of that monster. "Remember, don't harm her. That's still Marian's body, just not her mind." Glade said.

Nightmare Marian chuckled and powered up her magic. "Time for little foals to die!" her horn glowed and the possessed mare sent a powerful attack their way in the form of a sphere. It hit the group in the middle, sending everyone flying in different directions. The monstrosity laughed. "OH, it feels good to work out the kinks!" she exclaimed with great relish.  
She powered up her magic again, calling down energy in the form of lightning bolts. Each bolt struck all of them, lightly electrocuting them. She called them down again and again and again, each bolt being more painful then the last.  
Starlight quickly summoned up a barrier and stopped the umpteenth barrage, giving everyone some breathing time. "hmm… how annoying that such a abomination can use magic." Nightmare Moon commented. She powered up her magic and summoned up a spear-like projectile.  
A magic blast hit the side of the sphere Nightmare Marian was in, forcing her to look in that direction. "Focus, you dumb broad." Glade said, trying to joke.  
Screw Loose groaned. "That was bad and you should feel bad."  
Nightmare focused and fired a beam at Screw Loose, who was in so much agony after hearing that bad joke. Well, not really, but you get the picture. It wasn't until the last second when she noticed it. She was pushed out of the way by Glade, who took the attack instead, hitting him right in the chest.  
"Glade!" Screw Loose called out.  
"HA! So much for Alicorns being at the top of the food chain!" Nightmare exclaimed. Her horn glowed again, this time darkening the ground beneath them. "hope you all like fire!" she reared her head back to pull fire out of the ground.

A black streak came out of nowhere and rammed into the side of the sphere, cracking it, much to Nightmare's surprise. "What in the world!?" the black streak came back again and rammed into another part of the sphere, causing that to crack.  
Nightmare snarled and sent out a shockwave that hit the streak and sent it crashing right near Woona and a couple of Glade's guards.  
The streak quickly shot out of the snow and spun around to get it off, also revealing himself to the crowd. "Gonna have to do better then that!" Chaos Gun exclaimed.  
"Chaos Gun?" Starlight muttered. She heard panting behind her. She looked to see Sweet Song running up. "Sweet Song! How… where…"  
The mare caught up to her and panted. "wait until… after we win this…" she panted.  
"Great. Another Alicorn abomination." Nightmare commented, looking Chaos Gun over. "Though pretty cute." she shrugged. "no matter." she powered up her magic and fired again. Chaos Gun dodged it and charged towards her.  
He rammed into the sphere again, causing more cracks to appear. He flew out over the snow then turned up, heading into the sky. Nightmare rapidly fired magic shots at him like a machine gun. The dark Alicorn was too fast for her to land a hit.  
When Chaos was directly over her, he shot down towards her like a meteor. The magic blasts shot by Nightmare exploded around him, each one exploding harmlessly. Chaos powered up his own magic and spun around like a screw.  
Chaos slammed into the sphere one last time, making it shatter. He slammed into Marian and the two fell to the ground.

End Song.

Marian hit first, causing the amulet to break off and landed in the snow a few feet away. The mare slowly and painfully regained herself as she struggled to keep his eyes open. Chaos Gun entered her field of vision, filling her with fear. "(is he… going to kill me…?)"  
Chaos Gun ignored her and walked over to the amulet, which stuck out of the snow on it's side. The last thing Marian saw before blacking out was Chaos Gun powering up his magic and attacking it.


	27. Time to Reflect

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 26

Time to Reflect

Ice, ice, and ice.  
That's all Marian saw when she woke up. Seemed like such a bad dream. Hard to believe it was reality. A single tear ran down her face and hit the icy floor below. Geez, is there anyplace where something isn't made out of ice?  
She heard inhaling and exhaling coming beside her. She looked to her left and saw Windancer fast asleep. Beside her was Marian's cape and hat given to her by her mommy Trixie. She tried to use her magic to pull it over but her magic faltered. She sighed in defeat. "no surprise there."  
She reached over to grab them, accidentally waking Windancer up. "oh… ah…" she gave a long yawn and looked up to see Marian up. "Marian!" she happily gasped. She hugged the mare, who winced in pain. Windancer remembered that Marian had a few broken ribs from her fall and quickly let go. "sorry."  
"it's okay." Marian groaned.  
Windancer grabbed and gave Marian her effects. "I saved these for you."  
"Thanks, Windancer." Marian took them and looked at them. They had noticeable burn marks where they lit up. Her expression became one of sorrow and she closed her eyes.  
"Marian?"  
"I… I know what I did, Windancer. I harmed Bass, I harmed Glade, I attacked my sister. And I let Nightmare Moon take control of me."  
"Marian… nobody knew Nightmare Moon was in that amulet, not even Luna. You had no way of knowing she was in there. This wasn't your fault."  
"yes, it was."  
"no, it wasn't."  
Marian wanted to believe that, but with all she did… she wanted to change the subject. She remembered all those she injured. "How… how's Glade? And Goldie? And Bass? And Woona?"  
"Woona's fine. Yo- Nightmare Moon never hit her. Glade took one in the chest while saving Screw Loose. Fortunately, it's just cosmetic; big ol' scorch mark on the chest. Same with Bass; scorch mark on the back." Windancer grew silent.  
That moment of silence filled Marian with dread. "no… no, don't tell me she's…" Windancer still kept quiet. "Windancer, what happened to Goldie?!"

After the battle with the unexpected but short-lived return of Nightmare Moon, Chaos Gun took them all to the village of the leopards. These Snow Leopards made a living up in the cold, having established a sizeable presence. Anyway, with everyone wounded and tired, and him having saved them, they didn't argue when Chaos Gun lead them to the village. At first, they didn't want to go with him, but… they saw that something was different with her, like he changed. Sweet Song, who came with him, is keeping quiet why.  
And the blizzard? It quickly cleared up. Turns out the Wendigos who attacked them were the cause of the blizzard and Starlight doing… whatever she did to them made it disappear.  
The wounded members of the group, or rather the serious ones, were quickly healed by the local shaman. To the best of her abilities. There are some wounds even magic can't heal.

"she could've at least gotten rid of the pangs of pain." Glade commented. He sat in a private tent set up by his troops, which had turned into the gangs home while in this village. It was barely big enough for all of them but they're making do.  
"Some things just can't be healed with magic." Screw Loose said as she bandaged Glades chest. The scorch mark from where Nightmare hit him is clearly visible and won't be fading away sometime soon.  
Glade's expression turned somber. "that I know." he sighed.

"This is the second time."  
"Huh?"  
"This is the second time you saved my life, Glade. It's starting to become hazardous to your health."  
She accidentally hit a sore spot on his chest, making him wince in pain. "no argument." her bandages fell short, not even close to finishing. "out of bandages." she got up. "be right back." she went to the first aid kit to grab some more. "Starlight must be taking this hard, what happened to Goldie."  
"I don't blame her. I'd be secluded from everyone if something like that happened to my sister. Times like this make my glad I'm a only child."  
"Same here." Screw found it and pulled out the bandages needed to finish. "still, hard to keep going when something like that happens."  
"no argument here." Screw started back to him when she slipped on the ice. Glade quickly got up and caught her. "thanks."  
"it's no problem." she tried to let go but slipped again. Damn ice under her feet must've melted. That's when Glade realized that this was the first time he held her. "huh… I never knew your fur was so soft."  
Screw Loose was surprised to hear him say that. She looked up at his eyes and got completely lost in them. She didn't expect to see loving, gentle eyes behind such a hard exterior. "G-glade… did anyone tell you how… pretty your eyes are?"  
"no. I… I think you're the first…" now he was getting lost in her eyes.  
The two leaned in close to each other, eyes slowly closing. "is what about to happen… really going to happen?" Screw whispered. "is it really… such a good idea?"  
"let this be… my answer."  
The both of them closed their eyes and kissed each other.  
The guards, who had been watching the entire time, smiled for their captain and closed the tent flaps. About time he found that special someone.

Goldie labored in her sleep as she tried to breath. The scuffle left her worse for the ware. All Marian could do was see what she had done.  
"This…" she fell to her knees, not wanting to believe this. "this is all my fault."  
All Windancer could do was offer a sympathetic expression. "Marian…"  
"IT IS! If it had just…" she choked up as tears fell. "if I had just…"  
Windancer walked over to Marian and helped her up. "Marian… this was Nightmare Moon's fault. Not yours."  
"Yrs it is! I wore the amulet, it was my body she used!" she broke down and cried her heart out. "Chaos Gun should've killed me."  
Without warning, Windancer slapped her across the cheek, leaving a noticeable bruise. "Are you hearing yourself right now?!" Windancer exclaimed. " 'it's all my fault. It's all my fault.' so what if it is? The best thing you can do is try your best to make up for it the best way you can!"  
A shocked Marian touched where Windancer slapped her. Instead of confronting her about it, or even trying to talk, she broke down into tears. Windancer grabbed her out of sympathy and caressed her. "Marian… it's gonna be okay."  
"No, it won't!"  
"Yes, it will. You'll see."  
… "no, it won't." the depressing moment was ruined when Chaos Gun walked in, as foreboding as ever. "you injured your friends. You injured your family. And worst of all, you injured yourself." Marian didn't want to argue. She just wants this to stop. "you let yourself get possessed by Nightmare Moon. You let this happen."  
"Chaos, stop this." Windancer insisted.  
"Why? She knows what she did and she deserves to know the price for such stupidity."  
"Chaos Gun!"  
"he's right…" a distant Marian said. "I… did this."  
"oh, for the love of pete…" Windancer grabbed her by the shoulders. "Listen to me: THIS wasn't your doing! This was Nightmare Moon's! nobody knew a part of her was hiding inside the Amulet. This! Wasn't! Your! Fault!"  
It seemed like a eternity before Marian replied. She took Windancer's hooves off her shoulders and headed for the exit. "just… just leave me alone, Windancer. It's the best thing you can do. What anyone can do."  
Windancer sighed. Still nothing could get though her mind. "Marian…"  
"when I'm better… I'm heading back to Ponyville… thought I can't promise I'll actually head back home. Everyone would be better off if they just forgot about me."  
Marian walked out of the hospice where Goldie was resting and headed for the exit. Windancer ran out after her. "Marian!"  
"Leave me alone before you get hurt, Windancer."  
Windancer spread her wings and flew in front of the depressed unicorn. "No!" she landed and stood her ground. "you can keep beating yourself up all you like but that doesn't change the facts: Nightmare Moon did this. NOT you!"  
"but I was the one who…"  
"You and Trixie and Luna and Celestia, and even the long gone humans had no idea that Nightmare Moon was inside that accursed Amulet."  
"but I…"  
"stop beating yourself up over this! So you were a host to a madwoman. So what? That shouldn't change who you are. I know it doesn't change how I feel about you."  
That last part, Marian didn't suspect. "feel about me?"  
"Yes! Dammit, Marian, if you think one incident is going to change how people feel about you, then you're just being stupid."  
Marian sadly looked away. "I… I know what your saying, Windancer, but I can't just ignore it! I have to go before you or anyone else gets hurt."  
"just shut up!" Windancer yelled, on the verge of crying. "You can't leave!"  
"And why not?" Marian asked with tears falling. Windancer's reply came in a form Marian was not expecting.  
She kissed her, full on the lips. Marian went wide-eyed for a moment, then closed her eyes and kissed back.  
Well… maybe things weren't so bad… for her at this moment, anyway… there are others who aren't feeling so fortunate.

"Starlight!" Bass called out. He spent the better part of the day searching for her. "Starlight!" when she didn't reply, she got worried. "oh, Star. Where did you go?" he wishes he waited until he found her before sending that update letter via Filigree to Canterlot.  
Peewee came flying out of the air and towards him. He landed on Bass's back and squawked. "You found her?" Bass asked. The phoenix nodded and looked up. The earth pony looked in the same direction to a small park hanging above the town. "there."  
he ran up towards it, and hopefully Starlight.

Begin Song: watch?v=ldmOHlnTCAU Holding On by Ellie Goulding

Bass ran up the path leading up to the park, passing leopards who were walking down. He had a bad feeling down in his gut. When he reached the top, that feeling proved to be a reality.  
Using her magic, Starlight held a knife up to her throat.  
"STARLIGHT!" Bass quickly ran over and rammed into her, cutting off her magic and making the knife fall.  
Starlight kicked him off and picked up the knife again. Quickly moving, Bass bucked the knife into a nearby tree.  
"ARE YOU F*&KING INSANE!?" Bass yelled. Starlight looked away, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "Well?"  
"I just… I just can't take it anymore, Bass."  
"what?"  
Starlight looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "All of this! It's driving me to the brink!"  
He didn't know that. "Star…"  
"When I set out, all I wanted was to find my real dad and learn why I'm a Alicorn. I never expected the rest of this to happen; my friends coming, that corrupt cop in Baltimare, Chaos Gun, the Wyrm, the Cave-in, the Blizzard, the Wendigos, and… and Marian…" tears streamed down her face and splattered on the ground. "if I never set out… none of my friends would be put in danger and… and Goldie wouldn't be…"  
"Starlight…"  
The wounded mare fell to her knees and kept crying. "Why… why do I exist? I shouldn't be here. I… I should've be alive."  
"Don't talk like that!" Bass yelled. "there's a reason for you to be alive, Star! Just because a few things go wrong, doesn't mean it's the end of the world! If you never existed, the whole mess with Nightmare Moon would still happen, except Chaos Gun wouldn't intervene and the princess' would probably be dead!"  
Starlight didn't hear him and kept on crying. "You don't understand. I shouldn't be here. I'm just putting my friends in mortal danger."  
Bass yelled and kicked a rock over the edge. Why are people in distress always the hardest to pacify?  
A moment passed before Bass spoke. "Starlight… look up…" she did just that and saw him holding the knife. He lifted it and cut his hoof. Blood fell from it and splattered on the ground. He must've cut deeper then he intended cause it hurt like hell.  
"Bass!" she quickly used her magic to heal it. "Why did you…"  
"See… if you didn't exist… then this could've gone bad."  
"but Bass…"  
Once it was fully healed, Bass got up. "Listen, Starlight. My mother taught me that every dark cloud has some silver lining; sometimes major, sometimes light, always good. You may have a large dark cloud hanging over you, but there's something good just around the corner. And maybe you're not supposed to exist, maybe you are. But offing yourself isn't the answer! You have to tough it though and find it!"  
Tears fell down Starlight's face at a rapid pace. He was right. She hated it but he's right. She hiccupped as more tears filled her eyes. She broke down and fell into Bass's embrace. He let her cry into his shoulder and didn't say a word.  
"My… my chest hurts, Bass. It feels like a thousand knifes are… piercing my heart. Knifes that want me dead. And… and I'm inclined to agree."  
Bass sighed out of mercy. Poor girl. There must be a way to cheer her up. And there is. He pushed her off his chest but didn't let go. She hiccupped still as she temporarily wiped her eyes of tears. "What are you doing?"  
he brushed her fire-like hair out of her eyes and just looked at her watery eyes. "Showing you that your life has value… by doing something I wanted to do for a long time…"  
Starlight was nervous by what he meant by that and just looked at him. He looked at her with such compassion, it was almost scary. What was even more scary as that he leaned in and whispered into her ear,  
"I love you, Starlight…"  
He kissed her on the lips before she could respond. Though she was initially surprised, she accepted it. she closed her eyes and kissed back.  
Ignoring what lead it to it, this was the best moment of her life.

"I love you too, Bass…"

2:43. End Song.


	28. Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville IV

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 27

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville IV

'I wish I could give you guys good news. I really wish I could. But… I'm afraid that's not the case here.  
'My name is Bass. Bass Clef. If you haven't heard about me, I'll be surprised. I helped Starlight back in Baltimare and I joined up with her. Funny how things can change in a few weeks.  
'something horrible happened to us just a few days ago and… and everyone's feeling the pressure. First, we were trapped in a cabin thanks to a blizzard, then Sweet Song ran out in heartbreak when she saw her crush with another mare, then we went looking for her and ran into Windigoes. Then… something bad happened.  
'That Alicorn Amulet of Marian's…. it took her over. Turns out that thing was a hide-away for a part of Nightmare Moon that lay dormant for 1000 years but awoke when Trixie bought and put on that amulet… before giving it to Marian. It took her over completely and attacked us. A number of us got injured. Goldie… Goldie took the worst of it. But if it wasn't for Chaos Gun's arrival, we'd all be dead.  
'I… I wish I could give you good news but… everyone's feeling down, myself included. I'm just worried what Starlight's going to do, or Marian when she wakes up. And… and I'm sorry about Goldie. I wish the best for that kid.  
'From,  
Bass Clef.'

A emotionally stunned Twilight fell beck in her chair and let the letter drop. Tears fell down her face. She broke down and cried into her hooves.

A shocked Cadence fell back into her seat, not believing what she had read. "This is… this is a joke, right?" she asked Twilight.  
"I wish it was." a choked up Twi said. She and Halo came to Canterlot not long after they got the letter to show it to Luna, Trixie, Cadence, Armor, and Celestia.  
Celestia took the letter and read it over. "Nightmare Moon… I thought the humans destroyed her for good."  
"Apparently, she planned for that." Halo said.  
Trixie didn't want to believe she's the one who caused this, but the evidence points to her. "This is all my fault…"  
"Trixie…"  
"If I didn't buy that stupid amulet in Manehatten, I wouldn't have put my daughter and her friends in danger."  
Luna walked over and comforted her wife by wrapping a wing around her. "you had no way of knowing. We had no idea that Nightmare Moon was inside that thing. I didn't. Celestia didn't. there was no way you could've know."  
"But I still bought it. It was all my fault."  
Armor sighed with a defeated whim. "Let's hope Marian doesn't get that from her mother."  
"I'm just worried about what happened to Goldie." Twilight tearfully said. "I don't want both my daughters to be dead…" she broke down and cried. Halo nuzzled to comfort her.  
"now now now. Bass didn't say that Goldie was dead." Armor said. "Although it… is implied."  
Celestia stayed silent during all this. She was the princess of the sun, the ruler of Equestria. How could she not have sensed this coming? Her thoughts switched to her daughter Erys, who went with them. "(Erys… please be safe… )"

Dinky couldn't sleep. All she could do was stare up at the ceiling of her old room. When she read the letter sent by Bass, she was so worried for her sister, she couldn't sleep. That, and the twins were having a kicking war inside her, with her bladder being the unfortunate victim. She just can't stop thinking about her sister. She just had to write to her, see if she's all right.  
She tried to get up by herself but her fat pregnant belly got in the way. She used her dragon wings to help her up. She landed on the floor and wobbled a bit. She walked over to her desk and pulled out the chair with her magic. She also grabbed a piece of paper and quill.  
"What do I write to her?"  
The scraping sound of the chair being pulled, and the sudden weightloss on the other side of the best, woke Pip up. He looked to see Dinky sitting at her desk, thinking about what to write. "Dinky? What are you doing? Are the twins coming?"  
"oh, hey Pip. I didn't mean to wake you up. No, they aren't coming."  
Pip crawled out of bed and over to her. "So… what are you doing?"  
Dinky put the quill down and sighed. "I'm worried about my little sister."  
"Windancer?"  
"Yeah. I wonder… is she one of the ones injured? Is she still alive?" she touched her belly. "I don't want the twins to grow up without knowing who their aunt was."  
"And they won't. if Windancer is anything like her sister, she's as stubborn as a mule."  
"Pip!"  
"just saying. Seems to me that you get your stubbornness from your dad."  
"and can you blame me? Dragons are known to be stubborn." Pip rolled his eyes, causing Dinky to chuckle. He went back to the bed to go to sleep, and Dinky back to her letter, when she suddenly groaned in pain, grabbing her stomach in the process. "Dinky!?"  
Then came the sound of splashing water. The both of the froze. Pip smiled nervously as Dinky slowly looked down. "Is it…?"  
"It is!" Dinky squealed in happiness. "they're coming."  
At first, Pip was calm. The twins were coming. No need to panic. A baby is born every 30 seconds. Their's decided to come now. Then he started to freak out. "The twins are coming. The twins are coming!"  
"here we go." Dinky sighed, fearing this from Pip. She slowly and carefully got out of the chair as Pip ran out the door and to his parents-in-laws.  
He pounded on the door, waking the sleeping couple up. "DERPY! ETU'NES! The Twins are coming!"  
He quickly ran back to Dinky just seconds before Derpy burst out of her room in a nightgown. "The babies are coming now?!"  
"And in the middle of the night. What a cliché." a sleepy eTu`nes said as he rubbed his eyes. Pip came out of the room with a calm Dinky, who's being the sane one during this. "You okay?"  
"Yeah. Just had one contraction, so-" she was interrupted by a pain in her stomach. "Make that 2 contractions."  
Pip came back out with the bags. "Okay. Okay. Just breath. Breath. In… out… in… out… remember your Lamaze training. We'll be at the hospital before long."  
Dinky lightly chuckled at her husband's nervousness. "I'm fine, Pip. The contractions are 6 minutes apart. I got plenty of time before they come."  
All Pip did was laugh like a maniac. "Plenty of time? Hahahaha! I doubt we'll get to the hospital in time before the babies come. No, we need to go now and-"  
Dinky rolled her eyes as Pip rambled on. "was dad like this when you had Windancer, mom?"  
"worse."

Twilight couldn't eat, or sleep, or even move. She couldn't do anything, knowing that Goldie is horribly injured. Or worse. And Starlight- Faust knows what happened to her.  
"Come on, Twilight. Go to sleep." Halo asked. "worrying about Goldie from all the way here isn't going to help anything."  
"Sorry, but I just can't stand the fact that our daughters are suffering while we're back here, hoping for the best." she closed her eyes and turned her head to the window. "why do I feel so powerless?"  
Halo had no answer. If it was someone else's child, he could think of a explanation lickaty-split. But when it's his own daughters… he's lucky to eat something with flavor.  
A rapid knock came from downstairs, from the main door. Who would be here at this hour? "we're closed!" Twilight called below.  
"Twilight! Let me in!" a male voice replied.  
Didn't expect to hear him at this time of night. "eTu`nes?" Twilight muttered. She got up and headed downstairs. Halo followed not far behind.  
Twilight opened the door and saw the dragon on the other side. "What's wrong, eTu`nes. You look flushed."  
"It's Dinky. She's having the twins."  
"Now?" Both Twilight and Halo asked in surprise.  
"Yeah. I came here to get some books about childbirth. I didn't have time to do so when Derpy had Windancer. And Dinky didn't have time, what with her being with Daring, who's always on the go."  
"Yeah. Sure." Twilight used her magic to pull the two best books on the subject too her. Helped her a lot when she had Goldie. Should've read 'em before Starlight. "how is she?"  
"feeling good, for the most part. It's Pip and Derpy you should worry about. The both of them are flipping out."  
Twi lightly chuckled. She remembered how Zilver acted when Applejack gave birth to Peppy.

"okay, okay, okay. My turn." Scootaloo said, popping some popcorn in her mouth.  
The ex-CMC and their special someone's decided to use this opportunity while in Ponyville to catch up on old times and, in Rumble's terms, have a sleep-over. The location: their old clubhouse.  
Time was not kind to it. it quickly turned back to the state the CMC first found it when they were fillies; run down, ragged, and beaten by the elements. Thanks to the magic from the Unicorns of their old group, they were able to repair it long enough for their reunion sleep-over.  
"Truth or Dare?" Scoots asked Sweetie Belle.  
"mmm… dare. No no, truth."  
"Okay. Have you had sex dreams about anyone other then Rumble?" both the guys and girls went 'OOH!' at that question. Rumble looked at his wife with a look that could be translated into 'answer wisely'.  
"un… yes."  
The girls laughed as Feather-Weight elbowed Rumble. "Guess you're not the only thing on her mind, lover-boy." he chuckled.  
"Who?" Applebloom and Babs asked.  
"oh, no no no no no no. you said 'did I have dreams?'. You didn't say who."  
"Okay, then I'll ask. Who?" Silver Spoon asked.  
Sweetie blushed, really not wanting to say. "I don't wanna."  
"Spill, Belle! Who was the shlub you boinked in your dreams?" Tiara said with a wicked smile.  
"Okay, okay. Fine. *Sigh*… just a few years ago, I had a sex dream about…" both mares and stallions leaned in. Rumble really didn't want to hear this. "Spike."  
"SPIKE!?" they yelled. Rumble's ears perked up when he heard that. A dragon, really? "Why Spike?"  
"well… remember, I had a crush on him when he turned into a teenager, right?"  
Applebloom's groaning head fell and hit the floor. "Faust, I remember. It wasn't a crush, you were obsessed. You tried to make him and Rarity too emotionally distant from each other."  
"yeeeeah…" Sweetie Belle nervously chuckled. "hehe… and we all know how that went…"  
"Badly." The CMC all said in unison. The 3 of them laughed like they were fillies again.  
The door to the clubhouse knocked, surprising them. It was supposed to be private. Only Applejack and Zilver knew because they're babysitting Silver Crown. "so who could this be?" Scootaloo asked. She got up and opened the door to see a frantic Pip on the other side.  
"Oh, thank Faust, there you are! A.J. said you were here."  
"Pip? What's going on?"  
"it's Dinky. She's having the twins right now!"  
"RIGHT NOW!?" all of those in the clubhouse exclaimed.

"Just breath, Dinky, just breath. You're gonna be just fine." a freaking out Derpy said, trying to calm her daughter down. She didn't really need it.  
"I'm fine mom. I'm not having contraction's hit 24/7, not like Tiara." Dinky replied.  
Derpy and Dinky got to the hospital a half-hour ago and quickly checked her in into a private room. Her contractions are still far apart, though now 5 minutes. The twins are slowly but surely getting there.  
eTu'nes walked in with the books given to him by Twilight. "Got the books."  
"Dad, I read every one Twi had. I don't need those."  
The dragon hit himself in the head with the books. "now you tell me. Wish you told me that sooner before I went."  
"hehe. Sorry."  
Pip walked in, still freaking out. "Okay. Okay. Things are going smooth, things are going great. It's going great. Doctor's on the way, your friends are on the way. Things are going good, things are going great."  
Dinky sighed. "Can you please do something about him? I was fearing this from him the moment I got pregnant."  
"you're asking me to talk to your husband, who's freaking out? I couldn't do that with Derpy before she had Windancer- what luck do I have with Pip?"  
"just a question. Geez."

Before long, Dinky's friends came to give her their support. "Hey, Dinks." Applebloom said. "We came as soon as Pip told us."  
"How are you feeling?" Babs asked. "is it painful?" Tiara almost instantly slapped her upside the head.  
"of course it's painful. I'm gonna be pushing 2 new lives out of me. How would it not be painful?" Babs just shrugged.  
"so, how are you doing?"  
"I'm surviving. Contractions are 3 minutes apart and I'm 30% dilated."  
"it seems like torture, you going though all that pain by yourself." Scootaloo said.  
"I'm making do. Pip is being no help."  
"We noticed." they all said in unison.  
"He's been freaking out, going all over the place, trying make sure everything goes right."  
"That sounds familiar." Tiara said as she looked to Applebloom. A.B. scratched the back of her neck and nervously chuckled.  
"And my mom is no help, adding more hysteria to it. Seems dad is the most stable one. At least he tried to help."

eTu`nes paced back and forth in the waiting area with Derpy, Pip, and the Mane 6 and their husbands. "I hope she's okay." he said. "I hate doing nothing."  
"All we can do is wait." Fluttershy said. "This thing takes a lot of time." she felt her new foal kick inside her. Just 7 more months for her. "a very long time."  
"I just hate seeing her like this. I mean, I missed 8 years of her life because of a horrible misunderstanding and I feel like I should help her."  
Derpy smiled at the dragon's hopefulness and got up and nuzzled up next to him. "you made up for it by coming back. And Dinky is strong enough to get though this. Just like at her dad."  
Edge groaned. "Now, the author is bringing in the sappy stuff?"  
Pinkie stuck up her hoof to quiet him and walked to the screen. She hopped out, grabbed my remote, and went back in. "This'll help."  
"How did you…"

2 hours later…

"… do that?"  
Edge felt something off and looked around. He was in the same place and everyone was still here but… something was off. For example, when did the princess' get here? Why'd they even come? Derpy may be a Element of Harmony, but they didn't come when Pinkie or Rarity gave birth. Pinkie tossed the remote away and sat back down as comfy as she could.  
Silence fell on them. Pip had gone to be with Dinky, leaving Derpy to be the worry-wart. Rarity lightly tapped her hooves together. She closed her eyes and lightly chuckled.  
"What?" Luna asked.  
"I was remembering when Sweetie Belle and her friends were little foals. Remember that organization they had: the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"  
"remember? I have the song commented to memory." Applejack said, hitting her head to try and get the heavy-metal song they did out.  
"Remember all the trouble they got into just to find their Cutie Marks?" Dash chuckled. "skydiving? Float-building? Those are fun but you can't base your life off it."  
"Says the speedster." Shadow joked. Cadence and Twilight chuckled at that comment.  
"ha ha. Make your jokes. But seriously. They got into some pretty nasty scrapes."  
"I remember the cockatrice we encountered." Fluttershy said. "If it wasn't for me, they'd all be statues. And me. And Twilight. And Eleizabeack."  
That part, Halo hadn't heard before. "you were frozen by a Cockatrice?"  
Twilight lightly chuckled. "It's a long story."  
"hmm… I remember Sweetie Belle using my silk to make their capes. And I remember her and her friends writing those articles in the Foal Free Press."  
"ugh, those were horrible." Dash said.  
Rarity nodded. "and now look at them; out in the world. Married. Having kids of their own. It seems like just yesterday they were smaller then a wagon."  
"yeah. Smaller then a wagon." Applejack and Dash said as well.  
"I remember when Dinky was born." Derpy said. "it feels like yesterday, I held her in my arms. She seemed so tiny. Now my baby is having babies."  
Suddenly the CMC burst though and ran to them. Applebloom and Scootaloo skidded to a halt, while everyone else couldn't stop and crashed out the door. "ow…"  
"ey." Scootaloo winced, looking at the deadly dog-pile.  
"Dinky just went into delivery. She's having the babies!"  
Derpy squealed in excitement. "tell me you're not kidding."  
"One of the kids winked at me."  
"ew."  
"and one of them… a Unicorn, for sure."  
Derpy didn't care about that. A grandmother. She's becoming a grandma. "I… I gotta sit down." she fell back. eTu`nes caught her.  
"She okay?" Trixie asked.  
"I think knowing she's becoming a grandma is a bit much." eTu`nes guessed.  
"Faust, I'm old."  
"… and there's that."

45 minutes passed before Pip came out to them. He had a clear stunned expression on his face. "I'm a dad." The somber moment was ruined when Pinkie's Party Cannon's went off in his face.  
"How's Dinky?" Derpy asked.  
"Sleeping like a baby. No pun intended."  
"And the babies?"  
"a boy and a girl. Both Unicorns. With… some draconian elements from their grandpa. Nothing major, just slit eyes. The two of them are resting in the… the… I don't know what that big glass room is called. What's it called?"  
Derpy ignored that last question. "you have names for them?"  
"yep. Oscurita for the boy, and Ditzy for the girl."  
Both Derpy and eTu`nes were surprised to hear those names again, and from Pip's mouth. Oscurita was the name of eTu`nes… eh, violent alter ego that was under control by that sadistic madman. And Ditzy was the moniker Derpy used when she met Zecora and went to the Gryphon Kingdom capital when she was a foal.  
"Why those names?"  
Pip shrugged. "they fit. Plus, It was Dinky's suggestion."  
Nurse Redheart came out and headed towards them. "you can all go in to see Dinky now. Just… don't go in all at once. She just did have twins."  
Pip nodded and lead the new grandparents to the new mother.  
All this talk about babies had Twilight worried about hers. She still so worried about Goldie and hopes she's okay. She was so worried, she said something the other dragon didn't expect to hear again: "Spike. Take a letter."  
"that's something I haven't heard in a long while." he commented. He looked around and took a legal pad to write on. "un… what do you want me to write?"  
Twilight thought about what to say. Within seconds, she had it. "Dear Bass Clef…"


	29. Much ado about Chaos Gun

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 28

Much ado about Chaos Gun

After a long, hard day for everyone, they all needed to work the stress off anyway they can. For Starlight, that came in the form of Bass. With her life basically falling apart, Starlight needed cheering up. Bass provided that in the form of a kiss.

Bass and Starlight kissed under the dusk sun, something that was a long time coming. Starlight squirmed and broke the kiss.  
"What's wrong?" Bass asked.  
Starlight stayed silent for a moment but stayed in his embrace. "Um… are we sure this is a good idea?"  
"what, the kiss?"  
"y-yeah. My sister is on death's door and my friends are injured… I'm not sure me finding happiness right now is such a good idea."  
"what are you saying?"  
"I'm saying that- and don't take this the wrong way -but… I think we should wait until this whole mess is sorted out."  
Bass thought about it for a moment. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay. We'll wait."  
Starlight leaned in to kiss him, realized what she was doing and stopped halfway, and instead hugged him. "Thanks, Bass." she broke the hug and sighed. "So… what now?"  
That is a good question. "want to check in on Goldie?"  
Starlight looked away from somber eyes. She really doesn't want too, but she is very worried for her. After a moment of silence, she reluctantly nodded. "yeah. Okay."

From the comfort of his throne room, Sombra watched in anger as Starlight kissed Bass. "NO! that's not supposed to happen!" he sat back and rested his head on his hoof. "This just got more complicated. I'm gonna have to think of something for this setback." he glanced back up to his screens.  
In anger, he shut them off and got up from his throne. "and with Chaos Gun abandoning me to be with that whore Sweet Song, my plans are in jeopardy. If he tells them where he came from and who his master is, I'm screwed."  
He grabbed the Staff of Jeria from a display case and looked it over. "If only you could manipulate time, I wouldn't need Starlight." he tapped the end on the ground. "I need some way to…" a thought entered his twisted and evil little mind. "wait. That's right. I got the blood of the humans in cold storage." he tapped the tip of his face with the staff. "hmm… If I put them on the burner now, they can be sent to take Chaos Gun out."  
Further thinking made him see a snag in his plan. "Agh, but it takes at least a week for the body to form. And that's all I need at this point. I need a way to distract Starlight and her group long enough. Goldie isn't going to be out of the fight forever." he had something that could work, but it was too early. "*exasperated sigh* guess they're going out early." he tapped the staff on the floor a couple times.  
10 rings of dark fire came up from the ground and extended a few feet into the air. He turned to them to talk. "you're to head to the Leopard village and keep Starlight and her friends distracted long enough for me to do my work. And seeing you again might make Starlight get more powerful, which may work for me as well. Do you understand?"  
A paw made out of wood fell to the floor, followed by a understanding growl.

Filigree entered the hut where Goldie was currently suffering. They don't know what's wrong with her; the local shaman ain't saying much. All they know is that her breathing is heavy and labored.  
"Cous… what's wrong with you?"  
Season's Edge walked in behind her and saw Filigree sitting near her cousin. "how is she?" the pony/changeling hybrid asked.  
"Still bad. The shaman isn't telling us what's wrong with her, so I'm… I'm fearing the worse."  
Season lightly snickered. "I think the worse is supposed to be my job."  
Filigree rolled her eyes. "you're not exactly helping me, Mr. Emo." Season shrugged and chuckled. Filigree ignored him and returned her attention to Goldie. "Faust… why did this happen?" she sighed. "this could've been my sister. This could be Fire Ruby lying here, suffering."  
"Filigree… you don't know that."  
"but it was a possibility. My own little sister would've ended up the same way. And I would feel… I would feel as bad as Star…"  
Season placed a hoof on her shoulder, comforting her. "it's okay, Filigree. Fire Ruby's okay and I'm sure Goldie will be okay as well."  
"you're sure?"  
"never had a feeling steer me wrong before." That's true. Season's feelings, whether good or bad, have never been wrong. He's got a sixth sense and it's annoying. "but… I'm not sure what I'd do if I saw Golden Day like this."  
Right. Filigree forgot the two of them were brother and sister. She always forgot that because she doesn't look like a Changeling at all. One can only imagine what they're coming brother or sister will look like. And he is highly protective about her. If he saw Golden Day like this, he'd probably blow a fuse.  
"I'm sure you'd do fine, Season. Despite how you act, you've always been the most solid person I know. Not to mention charming."  
"Charming? Me?" he asked in confusion. No way he's charming.  
"yeah. You got sensitive eyes, a wonderful smile, a gentle voice. some girls like that. Myself included."  
"really?" without any knowledge to both of them, they grabbed each other's hooves. "you know, I always found dragons to be a bit… erotic."  
"Dragons? Erotic?"  
"everyone has some sort of weird fetish; hoove, wing, anal…" Anal? "…I know a few who find pregnancy a turn on…" now that's freaky, Filigree thought. "me, it's dragons." Filigree doesn't know whether to be grossed our or freaked out.  
The door to the hut opened and Starlight and Bass walked in. they were surprised to see those two inside, holding hooves. "are we interrupting something?" Bass asked.  
"huh?" the two of them looked down, saw what they were doing, and quickly let go. "how'd that happen?" they both asked.  
"how's Goldie?" Starlight asked as she walked over.  
"still the same. The shaman isn't letting us know what's going on with her so what is anyone's guess."  
Starlight sighed in fear. Goldie was always tough, so to see her like this… and she's a filly. No filly should be in this kind of situation. "Goldie… get well soon. For me?" she pleaded.  
Bass and Filigree exchanged somber glances. Sucks to be Starlight right now.

"Okay. Now that we've all calmed down a bit…" Glade said, taking his spot at the head of the table. "… let's take about you, Chaos Gun."  
He and his friends gathered in the tent to talk about what to do about Chaos Gun, the rouge. He saved them from Nightmare Marian but that doesn't mean he's trustworthy. He tried to kill them and kidnap Starlight on more then one occasion and he kidnapped Sweet Song.  
The guards watched him like a hawk, making sure he doesn't do anything fishy.  
"What is there to talk about?" Chaos Gun smugly asked, sitting back like he owned the place.  
"I think we can think of a few dozen items." Screw Loose angrily said.  
Glade gave her a slight look. It didn't mean much but she took it to mean keep quiet. "you tried to kill us, tried to kidnap Starlight, and did kidnap Sweet Song."  
"and yet, you forgot about me saving you from Volvagia and Nightmare Moon."  
"Volvagia?" Sym asked.  
"the Wrym, genius. Try to keep up." Sym wanted to clobber that guy's head in, and it shows on his face.  
"but why did you kidnap Sweet Song?" Woona asked.  
Both Chaos and Sweet kept silent. He didn't want to explain the whole 'he's in love with one of them' situation. He wasn't sure he'd understand. Sweet wasn't sure how to word it.  
It did remind him of something else, though. He used his magic to pull a item out of thin air. "This is yours, isn't it?" he asked, tossing the Alicorn Amulet onto the table.  
Marian's reaction to the reappearance of the accused amulet was reasonable. "Get that thing the hell away from me!" Darkness hissed out of the amulet, worrying everyone. Chaos snuffed their fears by encasing the amulet in a barrier bubble. "I thought you destroyed that thing!"  
"impossible. I tried and it sent me flying a few hundred feet away. Before I met back with you all, I hid it away."  
"Why!?" Marian asked with a snarl.  
"figured it was a family heirloom and you'd want it back."  
"I don't want it back! Get! Rid! Of! It!"  
Chaos Gun sighed. Seems she's a stubborn gal. "You heard her, creep. Get rid of it!" Windancer said, as angry as Marian.  
"now how could I go about doing that? It can't be destroyed, in case you forgot. Plus, even if I hid it, someone sooner or later will find it, and the same thing happens all over again, and probably worse then what happened now. You want that on your conscious, knowing you destroyed some unknown future?"  
Marian kept silent. Knowing that would make her feel bad. But she doesn't want that amulet; not now, not ever. Chaos sensed her predicament. "listen, what if I told you that I know how to get Nightmare Moon out of the amulet?"  
That would be… actually good news. Her mother gave her that. She doesn't want her to feel bad. "You can do that?"  
"me? No. but my master can."  
"your master?" Bass asked. "The one trying to kidnap Starlight?"  
"I just do what I'm told, nobody."  
"Nobody!?"  
Golden Day pulled him down. "shut it before he decides to attack us again." she said though her teeth.  
"ANYWAY…" Glade said, taking over again. "he can really get Nightmare Moon out of that amulet?"  
"he should be able to." he sensed that Starlight isn't taking into this conversation. "and… he might be able to help a certain wounded filly."  
Star's ears perked up. He better not be lying. "really? He can help Goldie?"  
"better then these backward leopards. They don't even know what's wrong with her."  
Starlight got out of her chair. "what's wrong with her? Tell me!"  
"wow. Testy."  
"Chaos Gun…" Erys said with a mean tenor.  
"Right, right. Sorry." Chaos Gun sat back and pus his hind legs on the table and put his forelegs behind his head. "well, she's got broken bones; obvious since she fell from a high height and she's having trouble breathing due to both her lungs collapsing and her organs have pretty much shut down. To top it off, her wings are broken beyond repair; with the blood flow cut off." Starlight whimpered at her suffering sister. "but that's not the worst of it."  
"it's not?" Pound asked. "What's worse then having the inside of your body turning into a jigsaw puzzle?"  
Chaos gave him a sneer. "does anyone happen to remember what Nightmare Moon originally was?" everyone stayed silent. Damn, they must've heard the story a million times, where Trixie accidentally turned everypony in Equestria human and they had to go to one of Nightmare Moon's fortress' to find a reversal spell. "apparently not. See, Nightmare Moon was originally a virus created by Discord to corrupt Luna, which it did after 100 years."  
Starlight's eyes went wide in horror as she finished it. "and… a part of her was in a amulet. And she attacked Goldie directly, which means…"  
"which means a part of the part of Nightmare Moon is coursing though your sister's veins, slowly but surely turning the once innocent Goldie into a powerful new threat to the world."  
Starlight shook her head, not wanting to believe that. "no. no, that's not true! Why should we believe you!?"  
"cause in all the times we've known each other, both good and bad, have you known me to lie?" Starlight shut up, not wanting to argue anymore and wanting to help her sister. "see?" he used his magic to pull a glass of water over to him. "but fortunately, since her body is such a mess, Goldie is as useful as a fish on land. Only way to save her is to get her to my master."  
Starlight didn't want to admit it to her friends but he has a point. Her sister is suffering and this is the best plan they have. She glanced back to her Cutie Mark. It's not like she hadn't considered using her powers over time to travel back and stop her from getting attacked, but she could screw up so much. There's a whole lot of dangers when one travels though time and she doesn't want to risk it. "let's go."  
"Really?" Chaos Gun said in a mix of confusion and bewilderment.  
Bass quickly looked between them, surprised by what he heard. "Starlight, are you sure? This is Chaos Gun we're talking about. You know, the stallion who tried to kill us and kidnap you."  
"it's better then standing around and doing nothing! In case you didn't notice, Bass, my sister is dying! And I'm not going to lose her. Not again."  
Again? This happened before?  
Glade held his head and sighed heavily. He cared a lot for Goldie too but working with Chaos Gun is a bit much. "how do we know you won't try anything if we agree?"  
"you don't." he truthfully said. He and Glade stared each other down, each trying to see if the other is bluffing. Neither weren't.  
"but, getting back to the subject at hand, why did you kidnap Sweet Song?" Soarin' asked.  
They weren't going to let up, are they? Chaos Gun sighed. May as well tell them now. "I kidnapped her to tell me… about love."  
"love?" they all murmured.  
"yes. My master created me and designed me to have no feelings. Imagine his and my surprise when I fell in love. I needed someone who knew it firsthand, both the good and the bad, so…"  
"…you kidnapped Sweet Song?" Peppy finished.  
Chaos shrugged. "yeah. And… to top it off, I'm in love with S…" he almost said Sweet Song but stopped. "with a Mare in this group."  
"WHAT!?" they all yelled. Bass, Soarin', and Glade got defensive for their girlfriends.  
Should've have said that, he said under his breath. "and just to clarify, it ain't Starlight, it ain't Peppy, and it ain't Screw Loose." well, those 3 felt relieved by that, but the other mares felt a bit… weird. A villain in love with one of them? That's a bit… much.  
Without warning, Erys fell out of her chair, yelling at the top of her lungs, holding her head in pain. "Erys!" her friends yelled out. Pound got out of his seat and went to help her.  
"What's wrong with her?" Chaos Gun asked. Sweet Song explained it to him as rationally and as simply as possible. She still has trouble trying to believe it herself. "really? A Draconequus inside her?"  
"it's hard to believe, I know, but the stories our parents told us all match what Erys told us, and she was there." Sweet Song said. "although…" she looked to her friend, who was still screaming in agony. "the last one wasn't as painful."  
Erys' body began to pulse with light as she spasmed in pain. "Make… it… stop!"  
A earthquake hit, sending everyone falling to the ground. A loud roar followed, causing Fire Ruby to hold her ears.  
"Oh, that is never good." Pumpkin said.


	30. Blast from the Past

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 29

Blast from the Past

The gang ran out to see the ground below the village had split open by a violent earthquake. "How the heck did that happen?" Pound exclaimed. "This place isn't know for earthquakes.  
The loud roar from before echoed, splitting into more split, menacing howls. "What was that?" Pumpkin asked in worry.  
Chaos recognized the howls, As did Starlight. Near death experiences tend to do that. "Timberwolves." he said.  
True enough, a Timberwolf climbed over a building and roared at them. Starlight went wide-eyed and gasped in fear. This one had a scar over it's right eye, in exactly the same spot and in the same shape. This was the same one that attacked her when she was 4.  
"You okay, Star?" Bass asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."  
"She probably did." Chaos commented. A loud and painful yell from Erys reached them, making some cover their ears. This is just a crummy situation; Goldie's crippled on the verge of dying and being taken over by a sliver of Nightmare Moon, Erys is having a bad case of split personality with her old Draconequus self trying to get out, and they got Timberwolves. Crap.  
More Timberwolves climbed over the buildings and snarled at them. Glade spread his wings and powered his magic.  
One of the Timberwolves howled, then the pack charged at them. Shadows spread on all it's claws, making Chaos nervous. One of the wolves lunged at Starlight, who was still in shock seeing that what threatened her as a filly was still alive. The entire pack was blasted back by Chaos, crashing into one of the huts and turning into pieces.  
"Focus!" he yelled to the stunned mare. She heard him and shook her head. Chaos returned his attention to the wolves, who were starting to glow green and black and hover up from the ground. They used shadows. Did his master give his powers to them? Is he that desperate?  
The timbers and logs moved to one spot and start to connect. "OH, that cannot be good." Golden Day gulped.  
"oh, Mom told me that enough of them were 'destroyed', they can combine into one single large Timberwolf." Peppy said.  
True enough, that's what the wolves were doing. The logs and timbers combined into one large frame.  
"Well, shit." Bass said.

Sombra watched the event on his screens with a evil smile. "This is going better then I expected." he used his magic to summon up 7 tubes, each one filled with a living being, or what will be mindless living beings. "and when you're all created, my compatriots will thank me for thinking of a way to take out those pitiful humans. Heh heh heh heh heh."  
He got up and went away, leaving the tubes to do their work. Names are printed on the top of each of the tubes. The first one read 'Re-Clone.' the tube next to it said 'Au-Clone.', then 'Ba-Clone.', 'So-Clone.', 'Ja-Clone.', 'As-Clone.', and 'Sa-Clone.' give you 7 guesses what each one is about.  
"Still…" shadows swirled around Sombra to where only his red eyes could be see. "Better throw my hat into the ring."

Combined magic blasts from all the magic users in the group sent the forming from of a large Timberwolf down over the side and to the ground below. It crashed into cliffs as it and the hovering pieces of timber fell.  
Cotton wiped her head and panted. She was never a powerful magic user. "That do it?" she asked.  
The ground shook, followed by a loud roar, giving them all their answer. "that answers that question." Soarin' said with a mutter.

Begin Song: watch?v=5speFcRxcUc Born to Survive - Last Ranker OST.

A single large paw extended up from below and crashed down onto one of the huts. Another came up and crashed into the ground. A LARGE Timberwolf head extended up from below. It turned it's head down to them and roared. The gust of wind it generated sent several members of their group flying backwards.  
"This is going to be a problem!" Glade exclaimed.  
"You think?" Chaos remarked.  
Starlight backed up out of fear of both the giant monster and her fear to Timberwolves in general. Ever since that incident when she was a filly, she was scared stiff of Timberwolves.  
Chaos looked the monster over, trying to find a weakness, when he noticed something. There were 10 wolves in the pack, yet only 9 were used in this monstrosities construction. Where's the 10th?  
Well, the leader wasn't far. It slowly snuck up on the group though the shadow, baring it's teeth. It had one target in mind and his pack were going to provide a perfect distraction. "… Star… Light…" it gutturally growled.  
The massive Timberwolf roared again at them, trying to intimidate them. It worked on some of the mares but the rest were keen on trying to fight this thing. "We're gonna die, aren't we?" Season asked.  
For once, Season sounded like he made sense. "Yep. We're gonna die." Soarin' replied.  
Starlight wanted nothing to do with this. She thought them all dead, but to have them back… It's too much for her already fragile psych to bare. She turned to run back to the tent where Erys and Pound were when she was suddenly pounced by the pack leader. The mare yelped as the 2 fell over the side and down the cliff.  
Bass said this and ran to the edge to try and futilely fail to catch her. "STARLIGHT!" he yelled.  
"Bass, look out!" Windancer yelled. Bass looked and quickly jumped back from the larger one's falling paw. It struck where he was, sending rocks falling. The large one got in his face and roared. The force sent him rolling back, crashing into Marian. The wolf snarled and roared into the sky, baring it's claws.

Starlight and the Timberwolf pack leader bounced and fell down the cliff under the village, landing hard on the snow 45 feet below.  
"AGH!" the mare yellow, feeling a few broken bones in her left wing. The pack leader, being made of wood, got up and charged at the Alicorn. It got to her before she could notice, pinning her to the ground.

The large Timberwolf roared and swiped it's right claws at them. The group dodged it. One of the claws cut though the tent, leaving a big rip in it.  
Pumpkin, fearing her brother got hit, powered up her magic and fired into the monster's eye. It didn't hit the eye but the flare from it did leave it temporarily blinded. It roared in agony as it swat at air, hoping one of it's swipes would hit someone.  
One such swipe dug though the rock and snow, sending mountains of rubble towards them. Glade and his guards quickly summoned up a barrier that blocked the rock and snow, but not the force. The gust and earthquake caused by it caused the unicorns and earth ponies to fall down.  
Chaos flew over the bubble, powered up his magic, and blasted a beam to the monsters eyes. It hit the right, piercing and destroying it. The Timberwolf roared in pain as it's eye gushed out… whatever it is eyes have inside them.  
"HA! How do you like that!?" Chaos proudly exclaimed.  
The wolf closed it's left eye and snarled angrily.  
"I don't think he likes that very much." Sweet Song commented. "In fact, I think he wants revenge."  
The powerful force of nature does and opened it's mouth wide. He lunged forward and bit down on Chaos, or rather where Chaos was. The Dark Alicorn had teleported behind the monster, his horn glowing at the tip. Time to become a monster hunter.

The pack leader lowered it's head down at the whimpering Starlight. She was powerless and couldn't move. The wolf snarled, baring it's teeth with a evil growl.  
"No… not like this…" Starlight whimpered.  
The wolf pulled it's head back, still snarling like the evil force he is. It aimed for her jugular and lowered it's head onto her neck. The mare closed her eyes, fearing the end.  
In the nick of time, Bass slammed into the wolf, forcing it off of her and sending the two of them rolling in the snow. The wolf was the first to get up. It turned it's attention to Bass and lunged at him.  
Bass saw him, quickly ducked, then bucked the wolf in the chest, sending it skyward. Bass rolled back, got up, jumped, and kicked the wolf again, this time in the face.  
The wolf spiraled in mid-air thanks to the kick and fell into a snow drift. Bass ran over to Starlight, who had just opened her eyes.  
"Thank goodness. You're all right." Bass panted as he ran over.  
"Bass…" she got up and hugged him. "Thank you."  
The moment was short-lived as the leader burst out of the snow drift and rammed into Bass. The two fell again into the snow, this time the Pack leader was on top and lunged his head at Bass's throat.  
"NO!" Starlight yelled. She wasn't going to let him die, not after he just gave her a kiss. Her Cutie Mark began to glow.

The large Timberwolf roared and swung it's tail down right on top of them. A well-placed magic shot from Season sent the tail falling into a frozen stream. The wolf moved it's head and snapped it's jaws down on Season.  
"NO!" Golden Day and Filigree yelled.  
Glade and Chaos launched a joint attack, spiraling into the monster's stomach. They hit, sending spasms of pain throughout the beasty. It opened it's mouth and threw up Season, along with it's lunch.  
"Ew." Fire Ruby said from a safe hiding spot.  
"That was disgusting." Screw Loose added.  
The Timberwolf snarled in anger then roared at them.  
A bright light imminated from the ground below, getting the wolf's attention and causing him and the group to cover their eyes.

A glow came from behind, cutting the attack short and causing Bass and the Wolf to look.  
Starlight hovered above the ground, her rear-legs crossed and her fore-legs and wings stretched out. Her eyes and Cutie Mark glowed. A glyph reminiscing of a clock face appeared beneath her, stretching out to cover both wolves.  
The arms on the clock began to move backwards, which is scaring Bass quite a bit. The spinning increased in speed, up unto the point it was a big blur.  
Streams of light shot out of it and into the air. The steams came back down and struck the large wolf. It roared in pain as it compressed in size to the size of a normal wolf.  
The clock face flashed, as did Starlight. She flapped her wings once, which was more then enough. A portal opened up behind what was once the large Timberwolf and sucked it in.  
The pack leader snarled but knew it's chances were limited. It turned and ran as far as it could. The clock face flashed again, this time sending out a shockwave that struck the wolf, breaking it apart.  
9 separate Timberwolves fell and landed on the ground, each the size of a pup. .knowing they had no shot at this, the Timberwolves ran away.

End Song.

The clock face and the glow went away. Starlight slowly descended to the ground. Upon landing, she instantly blacked out and fell.  
Images flashed though her mind, images of war, destruction, and despair, none of them involving her world and humans that don't look like what her parents told her. One was even a different species, with a dragon face. She recognized one of them; a girl with Silver-Blue hair.  
Once the images passed, she opened her eyes with a groan. "Ah." she held her head in pain. "Ow."  
"Starlight!" Bass ran over to her and helped her up. "Are you okay?"  
Starlight groaned and shook her head. "Ah. Y-yeah. Just… just blacked out for a second."  
Bass breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I just got a marefriend; don't want her to die in the same hour." Starlight weakly chuckled. Yeah… his marefriend. Finally. 17 years of striking out are finally paying off. "So where did you send that… thing?" he asked, referencing to the giant Timberwolf.  
Starlight wondered that herself. She had little to no control over her powers at that time so anything could've happened to it.

The Timberwolf Starlight sent into the portal opened it's eyes. Not sure what that mare did to it but it was going to get back at her, even if it takes forever.  
It heard the sound of a twinkling stream nearby. Parched from thirst, it got up and headed over to it. It looked around, noticing similarities in the area. Before it grabbed a drink, it stopped and saw what that dark alicorn did to him. It had left a very noticeable scar over it's right eye. He also can't see out of it anymore. It then realized it can't split back into it's other 9 wolf's anymore. Damn that mare.  
It heard a loud noise and looked up. A large pink portal opened up and a ship flew out of it. Humans… it pieced the puzzle together. That mare sent him back in time. If memory serves, a Timberwolf with a scar approached their old one and took over by killing their leader. It looked back down into the stream. Was it that same wolf?  
Another loud boom followed, this one belonging to a dragon of fearsome size. It slammed into the ship, causing it to tilt. It reached in and tore out a large metallic spear 30 feet in length. Once it had that, it pushed off and flew away.  
He was sent to the past. That mare knows time magic. No wonder Sombra wants her. If memory serves, that mare Twilight, who would be pregnant with Starlight by the time she and Halo discovers those ruins in Everfree. A perfect opportunity to kill that sniveling mare before she's even born.  
But first, he needs a pack.

"That is a good question." Starlight muttered, wondering what could've happened to that Timberwolf. She shrugged. "Guess we'll never know."  
"guess so."

Begin Song: watch?v=CQQ9kiLZvUw Nemesis - Fire Emblem Awakening OST

Suddenly, a pillar of dark fire broke thought the ice and up into the air in front of the village. A pair of large red eyes appeared in the fire, which then turned to smoke.  
"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
All the mares and stallions gulped and backed away in fear. All except Chaos. He stared the monster down with deep seeded anger. "You!"  
The monster of smoke and fire stopped it's mad laughter and looked down at him. "Chaos Gun…" Sombra said, disguising his voice so nobody would recognize it in the future. "how nice for us to meet again? You know, those tubes don't come cheap."  
"SHUT UP!" Chaos yelled, powering up his magic. "I never asked to be born!"  
"And yet, here you are. Funny how life works, don't you think?"  
"Are you the one who made him?" Bass asked, he and Starlight returning to the others just as the fire monster appeared. "Chaos Gun said he was created and you two seem to know each other."  
"Quite perceptive, aren't you Bass? Yes, it was I who created him, though I didn't expect a number of things to happen."  
"like him falling in love?" Starlight asked.  
Sombra's eyes moved to look at her. She felt as if it stared though her soul. But it also… felt familiar. "Ah… Starlight Sparkle… the daughter of Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. And… the daughter of…" he stopped there, waiting for Starlight's response.  
"the daughter of who?" she asked, determined to figure out what he's talking about. "WHO!?"  
"Sorry. But I'm not at liberty to divulge… sensitive information. But I do have some use for you. A very important use for you." Bass snarled like a demon, determined to kill him if possible.  
Chaos snarled the same way. He spread his wings and shot up to Sombra. He spiraled around, trying to corkscrew his way though his heart. He missed the body by the mile, not taking into account that Sombra probably wouldn't have dissolved completely into the monster.  
A wisp of smoke shot out of it and tangled itself around Chaos' entire body. It pulled him back and slammed him into the ground. It lifted him back up and slammed him into the ground multiple times. The first slammed cracked the crystal around his neck while the following slams furthered the cracks.  
"Chaos!" Sweet Song yelled.  
Sombra took notice of the yell and looked down at her. "Is this… Hahaha. It is. This thing is what caused this whole mess." Sombra pulled Chaos close to the smoke and fire. "This is the dumb mare who you fell in love with, isn't it?" he used the smoke to force Chaos' eyes open and have him look down at her. Sweet Song was stunned to hear that. She was the one he's in love with? Her? Both she and Chaos couldn't look at each other. "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! How positively revolting!" Sombra commented.  
"Why… why didn't you tell me?" a shaken Sweet Song asked. Chaos didn't answer, hoping she would know at heart. She did. It would've been difficult just to even say it.  
The smoke constricted around Chaos, making it hard to breath. It also made the crystal crack even further. Chaos felt his sense of self slip away. "Time for little traitors to die!"  
The smoke cloud spun around, sending the crippled Chaos Gun into the mountain side. A orb of red light appeared below the eyes and grew in intensity. The beam then fired out towards Chaos Gun, who barely had time to notice and move.  
The beam hit and dug in there, Chaos Gun yelled in pain as he seemed to disintegrate. The crystal cracked completely and shattered.  
All that remains now is a large crater in the side of the mountain. Everyone was mortified that this thing killed his own creation, Sweet Song even more so. Glade turned his attention to the monster and powered up his magic. "You're going to pay for that, you creep!" he snarled. He fired a beam up at the smoke monster. It passed right though, not doing any damage at all.  
"nice try, Glade. Nice try." Sombra chuckled. He returned his attention to Starlight, who looked up at him with a mix of fear and anger. "And we will meet again, Starlight. Mark my words. We will meet again."  
The smoke disintegrated into nothingness and was swept away by the wind.

End Song.


	31. Namesake

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 30

Namesake

In the aftermath of the attack, Sweet Song ran right towards the crater left in the side of the mountain. "he can't be dead. He can't be dead." She repeated, hoping Chaos Gun isn't dead.  
Just a few minutes ago, a pack of Timberwolves, the same pack that attacked Starlight when she was a filly, attacked the village, with 9 of them forming into a larger wolf and the leader of the pack separated Starlight from the group by sending the two of them falling to the snow below. While the group fought the giant wolf, Starlight and the timely arrival of Bass fought off the pack leader. In the end, Starlight used her power over time to send the large one back in time and made the pack leader separate into 9 smaller wolves.  
And just as they were about to take a breath of fresh air, a monster made out of smoke and fire appeared out of thin air, revealing him to be Chaos' master. He brutally injured Chaos and fired a beam at him, hence the crater. Before that however, he revealed that the mare Chaos was in love with was Sweet Song.  
It was her all along and she was stupid not to piece it together. "Chaos… please don't be dead…" she pleaded. On the way, she closed her eyes and prayed. "…Faust… if you do exist- please, don't let Chaos be dead."  
Sweet Song arrived at the crater site to see nothing but smoldering ruins and flaming rocks. If Chaos survived, it was a miracle. "Why didn't he say it was me he was in love with?" she said to herself. "why did he have to be so secretive?" her friends called out to her but she didn't stop running.  
She arrived at the site and quickly looked around, hoping for some trace that he's alive. "Sweet Song! Hold up!" Woona exclaimed. She and Marian caught up to her and panted. The others were having a hard time catching up due to all the fighting.  
"where is he?" Sweet Song said with a heavy heart.  
"Sweet Song… calm down." Marian panted.  
"but he's…" groaning came from their left. They looked and saw a dark hoof sticking out of the rubble. Sweet instinctively ran over to it, Marian and Woona following not far behind.  
"Chaos! Chaos, you okay?" Sweet Song asked, hoping for him to be okay. Nothing but groaning came.  
"we should probably get this rubble off of him." Marian said. She and Woona powered up their magic, enveloping the rocks in 'em. They moved the rubble off the wounded pony.  
Sure enough, it was Chaos Gun, but burned in several places. His crystal that he had around his neck was gone, turning into slivers that were scattered across the area. "Chaos! Chaos, you okay?" Sweet desperately asked.  
He groaned and opened his heavy eyes. His head feels like it's splitting in two. He slowly looked up to see Sweet Song looking at him with a steadily increasing smile. "Sweet Song…?" he muttered.  
Happiness swelled inside the mare and she hugged him. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" she said with happy tears.  
Marian and Woona weren't exactly thrilled about that, not after what happened the last few times with him. "yeah…"  
"Woopy."  
"Thanks for showing some compassion." Sweet angrily said. She turned her attention back to him. "You okay?"  
"Y-yeah. I think so." Chaos replied with a groan.  
"well, thank goodness you're okay, Chaos Gun."  
The stallion raised a eyebrow in confusion. "Chaos Gun? Who's Chaos Gun?"  
It was Sweet's turn to raise a eyebrow in confusion. Something was wrong with this picture. "that's… your name. and you saved us."  
"I did? From what?"  
Marian and Woona looked at each other. Something was very wrong here. Very very wrong.

"OW! Watch it!" Chaos Gun snapped. He had a few broken bones on top of his burns so the groups resident healer, Screw Loose was busy bandaging.  
"Sorry. Geez." she said, rolling her eyes.  
While she was busy with that, everyone else was busy talking about Chaos outside the hut. Something was clearly off when they found him.  
"He knows who we are, but… he doesn't know his own name?" Bass asked, trying to make sure that's where they're getting at.  
"doesn't know his name, doesn't know his past… he basically doesn't remember anything about himself." Glade said.  
"So… he has amnesia?" Cotton asked.  
"Selective Amnesia."  
"he can get that?"  
"it's a rare form of amnesia but it happens."  
"but he remembers us." Starlight interrupted. "He remembers our names, our pasts, how we got here… he just doesn't remember how he almost killed us, right?"  
"right."  
Sweet Song sighed. Better selective amnesia then entire amnesia. Hopefully she can get some answers, especially why he loves her. "OW!" Chaos yelled from inside. "that's it. You're done!" he walked though the flaps of the hut and limped away. "You are the worst healer I've ever met."  
Screw Loose sighed. "I never said I was the best."  
Pumpkin fell back onto her back. "man, what a day. First that Timberwolf, then that smoke monster, then Erys getting those pa-"  
Oh, geez! They forgot all about her. "ERYS!" they all yelled. They forgot she was in unbridled pain.

The group, minus Chaos Gun and Sweet Song, quickly ran to the tent where Erys and Pound were. One of Erys' episodes flared and made her 'crippled' enough not to help them fight. Pound stayed out to take care of her. Hopefully, they survived the Timberwolf attacked.  
As Pumpkin reached to open the flaps, she stopped when they all heard a voice come from within, belonging to neither Erys or Pound.  
"Geez! Don't you guys have any good food? If I want to go on a fast, I'll head to the Badlands."  
They never heard that voice before. Well, Glade and Pumpkin did did but it was so, so long ago. they never thought they'd hear it again. "is that…" out of curiosity, Glade and Pumpkin went though the flaps first. His friends followed not far behind. When they entered, they saw something they didn't expect to see. at all. In a million years.  
"Eris!?" Glade and Pumpkin exclaimed.

Begin Song: watch?v=RL8AsIRpYJg Dream Eaters - Kingdom Hearts 3D: DreamDropDistance OST

The playful Draconequus baby lifted her head up from the fridge, a popsicle stick sticking out of her mouth. She pulled it out and looked in admiration. "Whoa, Baby! Glade, you grew up good."  
Glade's and Pumpkins' mouth fell out of surprise. Last time they saw her, they themselves were babies and she had gone cuckoo thanks to Discord.  
"Eris? That's you, right, and not a product of our combined imagination?" Pumpkin asked.  
"Nope. Really me." she said in a hyper tone. She certainly wasn't acting like the same Eris they knew. This one was more hyper. But… was it her? One way to find out. "when was I born?" Glade asked. His friends barely know that.  
"You were born on December 22nd, 3 days after the end of the Winter War, in a hospital where, at the same time, Fluttershy and Mirror's Edge were hooking up and Momma Dash was trying to adopt me and Scootaloo."  
That's… right on the money. "Yep. That's her."  
The rest of the group, having not met or even heard of Eris before, scratched their heads in confusion. "Un… did we miss something?" Screw Loose asked.  
"oh, right." Glade cleared is throat. "everyone, meet Eris, a baby Draconequus adopted by Rainbow Dash back when me, Pound, and Pumpkin were still babies. Eris, these are-"  
"I know who they are." the Draconequus interrupted. "Starlight, Bass, Marian…"  
"Wait? You know who we are?" Windancer asked.  
"of course I do." she used her powers over chaos to teleport herself onto a table. "I didn't spend all my time inside that mare for nothing."  
"inside that mare?" the group, minus the obvious trio, said in unison. What did she mean by inside that mare. Wait? Wasn't Eris a part of a Alicorn friend of theirs? The 'reincarnation' of here when she came to the future? "Erys!" they exclaimed.  
"bingo."  
Erys the Alicorn was laying slanted on the table, her eyes spinning like they're in a cartoon. "Pound, is she okay?" Sym asked the stallion, who was holding his head underneath a piece of paper.  
"she should be." he groaned.  
"how did she get Eris out of her?"  
Pound lifted up the paper and locked at the stunned mare. "You don't want to know." he lowered it. "it wasn't pretty."  
Different thoughts entered each of their minds, some concluding that Eris reappeared in a flash like Discord usually does, while others had more… disturbing thoughts. Starlight and Glade thought that she just… appeared. Which one is true? I don't know.  
"wait, what did you mean by 'inside that mare'?" Bass asked.  
"Everything she saw, I saw. Everything she felt, I felt; every stomach ache, every heart-warming moment from a movie, every time her hooves sweat and heart beats a mile a second whenever she's around Pound."  
"but… when Dash had to make the choice, Discord said that only one can exist."  
"Yeah. Which was true. Until I figured out a way for me to exist as well. Got some help, too. This nice mare with red hair helped me figure out how to do it. Never got her name, though."  
Mare with red hair? now she's just making stuff up. "Right. Whatever."  
Eris used her magic to summon up chocolate shakes for everyone, even the out-of-it Erys. "I haven't had these in forever. Well, I did, but not down my own gullet."  
Everyone said thank you and grabbed their drinks. Some of them never tried chocolate shakes themselves so this was gonna be new. Heck, Eris being there was new. For most of them.  
Eris Shine flew over the crowd and over to the Draconequus. "So… you're the person mom named after me?" she said, looking her over. "huh."  
"yep. Name's Eris so don't wear it out." she playfully said, putting two fingers to her own forehead. "And I take it you're Eris Shine."  
"yeah."  
"Geez, 3 Eris'. this is gonna get complicated fast." Soarin' said with a whine. Everyone seemed to agree with him. Remembering the story, Soarin' regretted asking this. "So… how did you feel, when Mom chose the Alicorn Erys and not you?"  
The Draconequus looked away with inquisitive eyes. She was still sad that she made the choice, but… "I know mom made the right choice, giving Celestia her Erys back, but that doesn't mean I wasn't heartbroken at the time. Plus, I'm back now so everything worked out. Would've worked the other way around as well." she took a sip of her drink though the straw for a couple seconds. "I think…"  
"…well, that's good to know…" a still shaken Erys said.  
"Are we gonna have to start numbering the Eris' in our group?" Cotton asked Peppy. The farmers daughter shrugged, not sure what they were gonna do with this.  
Marian chuckled at the faces Eris was doing. She got herself a brain freeze. "She reminds me of Goldie."  
Hearing that name made Starlight stop in mid-drink and lower it. "Goldie…" she had forgotten about her in this whole mess. Only a miracle could save her. A miracle… like what had just appeared in front of them. "say Eris…," all 3 of them looked at her. "the Draconequus. think you can help me with something?"  
"Like what?"

End Song.

Chaos Gun and Sweet Song, knowing he wouldn't run fast enough to catch them, stayed behind.  
"Least you don't hurt when you bandage." Chaos commented, watching her bandaging his burns.  
"well… It takes a knack. Which I apparently seem to know." Sweet Song's eyes wandered away and she thought to herself. "So… Chaos… do you remember… anything about you?"  
"Not a thing, although I think my name is Chaos Gun due to everyone saying it to me. Is it?"  
"it is but… is that it? Nothing?"  
Chaos Gun thought long and hard on that. There was really, truly nothing. "Well… maybe there is one thing…"  
"what?"  
Chaos glanced over to her. "well… I'm not sure why, but… I feel a strong feeling towards you." no argument there. He did just tell her he loved her, or had it blurted out by that fire and smoke monster. "why is that?"  
Sweet Song didn't want to mention this to anyone because it might seem weird, but… ever since she was kidnapped, she felt a strong attachment to Chaos. One could argue it was Stockholm's syndrome but… there was something about him. Maybe it was his looks or the fact he saved her multiple times or for some reason she couldn't figure out. Before, she would've said no in a instant because of her crush for Soarin'. now, due to him and Peppy being in a relationship…  
"Well, I think it's because of this…" Sweet Song leaned in and kissed him. He went wide-eyed out of shock but he didn't fight it. Something felt right about this, it felt… perfect. Like something was missing and it was now filled. She broke the kiss and sweetly looked at the stunned stallion.  
"Un…" he shook his head, trying to clear it up. "were we…"  
"Yep."  
For some reason, it felt right, like it was meant to be. And besides, this sexy-looking mare is his girlfriend? Score! He leaned in and kissed her this time. She kissed back, ignoring the world around them. Except for one small sound.  
"OOH!" the two of them quickly broke the kiss and saw Peppy and Soarin' looking at them both. "Sweet Song and Chaos Gun, sitting in a tree…"  
"Really? We're doing that now?" Sweet Song droned.  
"Sorry. It was just too perfect." Peppy chuckled.  
"So I take it we're… good?" Soarin' asked, knowing that he and Peppy practically broke her heart.  
Sweet Song knows they're talking about the kiss she interrupted back at that cabin. "Yeah. We're good." she said with a smile.  
"So, what's going on?" Chaos asked.  
"we think we found a way to save Goldie." Peppy said.

Goldie's breathing worsened as she borderline on hyperventilating. Her fur color darkened and her mane turned a dark blue. Seems their assumptions were right; a sliver of Nightmare Moon is slowly corrupting her.  
"Goldie…" Starlight said, almost bursting into tears. Seeing her sister like this is just… she didn't want to see anymore.  
"Think you can do it?" Glade asked the Draconequus.  
Eris hopped up on a stool near the ailing filly. "Well… I'm not sure. I was able to cure Momma Dash of a incurable disease but this… this is Nightmare Moon we're talking about."  
"But can you do it?" a desperate Starlight asked. She didn't want her to die or convert into Nightmare Moon.  
The Draconequus scratched her neck. "I'm not making any promises. But I'm gonna try." that's all Starlight wants. Anything's better then Nightmare, or rather, Nightmare Goldie. Marian, wanting Nightmare Moon gone as well, placed her Alicorn Amulet beside Goldie.  
Eris closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated all her power onto Goldie and the Amulet, focusing on the demon that resided within them both.  
Goldie stirred in her sleep, lightly groaning in pain. At the same time, the amulet vibrated. "Come on, Goldie…" Starlight said out of concern. Both mare and amulet began to lightly glow. Something was happening, but was it good or bad?  
Goldie whined in pain and the amulet lightly hopped into the air. "Ah…. Ah…" sweat beaded down Goldie's head as whatever Eris was doing began to happen.  
Trickles of light spread throughout Goldie's body and focused in on her heart, which glowed the brightest. Same was happening to the amulet; trickles of light focused on the center of the accessory.  
"AH. AH! AH!" whatever pain Goldie was feeling was increasing in intensity, which wasn't very good. "AH! AH! AH!"  
"Come on, Goldie…" Starlight said. "You can do this."  
The light, along with the pain, increased in intensity. The light's turned dark blue and slowly rose out of both subjects.  
"AAAAHHHH!" unbridled pain engulfed the filly, letting loose a ear-shattering scream most didn't expect from a filly her age. "AAAAAHHHH!"  
"Goldie!" Starlight exclaimed. She never imagined she'd be in this much pain. She was hoping for no pain at all.  
The light's rose out completely out of both Goldie and the Amulet and merged into one. Goldie stopped screaming and fell unconscious.  
"GRAH!" the orbs formed into Nightmare Moon, forcing everyone to scream. Eris snapped her fingers and sealed Nightmare inside a impenetrable bubble. "Wha… what is this?" she asked.  
"nothing. Except a prison." a smug Eris said, crossing her legs.  
"GRR! Damn girl!"  
"damn girl…" she snapped her fingers and the bubble shrank. "… that has you in her clutches. And quite frankly, we're all bored of you." she tossed the bubble into the air. "ta-ta." she snapped her fingers. The bubble, and Nightmare Moon, scattered and evaporated.  
Everyone was surprised and confused to see that. "What did you do to her?" Sym asked.  
"finally took Nightmare Moon out of existence. She won't be bothering anyone ever again."  
That was a relief. Marian and Woona in particular. They heard their mother's tell horrid stories about Nightmare Moon and how she tormented them. Good thing that she be destroyed completely.  
Goldie stirred in pain. She struggled and opened her eyes. Starlight smiled wide with a gasp and happy tears in her eyes. "Ugh… un… Starlight. What's wrong? What happened?"  
Starlight's smile widened. She's well. She's well and alive and not corrupted. "Oh, GOLDIE!" She jumped on and hugged her sister with all the strength she had. "Oh, thank goodness! You're okay! You're okay!" she kissed her sister multiple times on the cheek and tightened her hug, not wanting to let go.  
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Starlight!"  
The Alicorn remembered that Goldie had broken bones. She quickly let her go. "Sorry, but I'm just…" she wiped her tears of happiness away. "I'm just so happy you're all right.…"  
"Why? What happened?" she looked up to see her friends looking at her, feeling as happy as Star. "and why's Chaos Gun here?" she looked to her right and noticed Eris. "And who's the serpent?"  
Glade chuckled. "It's a… long story. But it is good to have you back."  
"now we can finally set out for the north and find your father, Starlight. Unless we run into anymore trouble." Bass said. Cotton and Woona exclaimed then face-palmed. He had to jinx them.  
"Ahem!" everyone looked to the entrance to see one of the villagers standing in the doorway. "You're not going anywhere until you help us repair the damage done by your battle!"  
Oh… right. The Timberwolf and that fire-monster thing. How could they have forgotten that? "ehehehe. Oops."

Sombra, who had returned to the castle after he had 'killed' Chaos Gun, watched what had happened.  
"Hmm… I didn't expect him to survive. Guess those dragon genes are stronger then I thought. Aw well. He has amnesia so I guess that'll count. And Eris, that Draconequus, I can honestly say I didn't see her coming. Well, she doesn't know anything about this. And that reconstruction effort on the whole village will take them time, time for my new toys to be complete."  
He used his magic to summon up the Staff of Jeria. "soon, Starlight… soon, we will fulfill our destinies."


	32. Homestretch

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 31

Homestretch

In the aftermath of the battle against the Timberwolves and that fire monster, the village was in shambles. No one was hurt or killed, thank goodness, but they didn't let the group leave until they helped fix up the place. It took them several hours to rebuild all the huts destroyed but they did it, and in shorter time then they realized. When that was done, and a proper night's rest, they set out for the north to find the Necromancer.  
2 new member's joined the group that neither of them expected to get.  
First was Chaos Gun, who had survived his bout with that fire monster but lost his memory in the process. He remembers Sweet Song, Starlight, and the others, but nothing about himself; not where he came from, not why he was pursuing them, or even what his name was. Well, it may have worked out for the best, cause Sweet Song kissed him and basically established their relationship. And it seems that was one thing he remembers; his love for her, and now she loves him back.  
Second was Eris, the baby Draconequus Dash raised long before she had Soarin' Cloud and Eris Shine. Glade, Pound, and Pumpkin have vague memories about her; after all, they were babies at the time, but they don't remember her being this… talkative. During her time inside Erys, the Draconequus saw everything she saw and everything she felt. Neither the Alicorn or Pound are saying how Eris came back, leaving it to everyone's imaginations to how she arrived. Some of them are… disturbing but hey, it's anyone's guess.  
And thanks to Eris and her powers over chaos, the Draconequus used her powers to exorcise Nightmare Moon out of both Goldie and the Alicorn Amulet and finally rid the world of that boogey-mare for good. Eris fell asleep tired afterwards, which is why it took them a few hours to rebuild the village instead of a few minutes. She's been asleep ever since.  
Now, using directions from the village shaman, they're heading north to find the Necromancer, someone who could help them find Starlight's father.

Eris soundly slept on the back of her 'big sister', a little drool hanging out. Eris Shine looked at her with a warm smile. "So this was our long lost sister?" she asked as a joke. "I can see why Mom loved her; she's so cute and innocent."  
"And I can see why she named you after her." Soarin' Cloud said.  
Eris Shine chuckled, as did Peppy and Fire Ruby. "mom kept talking about a Eris when me and Soarin' were young. I thought she was talking about a pony or a dragon. I never imagined a Draconequus was my 'sister'." she turned her attention to Glade, Pound, and Pumpkin. "You 3 were there. What else should I expect from her?"  
"Really? We were babies at the time!" Pumpkin exclaimed. "and, we barely knew her. Glade knew her the most and he was only 3 days old."  
"hey, I told you all I knew when she came back." Glade said. "Besides, she's a Draconequus. That should answer your question." it did. Somewhat.  
Erys walked up beside Pound and lightly pecked him on the cheek. He felt it and turned a deep shade of red. "Un… what was that for?"  
"For helping me back there. Thank you for that." she kissed him again on the cheek, making him blush a deeper shade of red.  
It was such a perfect situation, they couldn't resist. "Princess Erys and Pound Cake, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G." all the mares went. The guys just chuckled on. Erys' eyes darted back and forth, herself feeling completely embarrassed. She draped a wing in front of her face. "s-stop it. I-it's not funny."  
"it is too!" Chaos laughed. Thanks to the amnesia, he has become a completely different person. Most of them like it. Some, like Glade, find it… weird and disturbing.  
"It is not!" Pound exclaimed out of embarrassment. "Speaking of which, let's talk about your shipping with Sweet Song. It's weird."  
"weird?" he asked with genuine confusion. He turned to Sweet Song. "how is it weird? He not like black stallions?"  
Sweet chuckled. "it's nothing, Chaos. Ignore her."  
"Oookay?"  
That confused response made Goldie and Fire Ruby chuckle. Thanks to Eris' powers over chaos, she was able to repair most of the bones in Goldie's body. Most of them, being the key phrase. She wasn't able to repair her wings, which were already dead before Eris saved her. Unless she uses one of Shadow's mechanical wings, she'll never fly again.  
Feeling that she may have caused it made Starlight guilty. If she didn't leave, then Goldie wouldn't have come after her, then she wouldn't have been attacked by Nightmare Moon, then she never would've been possessed or had her wings broken beyond repair. Her guilt showed on her face, not that she was trying to hide it.

Sombra watched them near his home on the screens and chuckled. "So close Starlight, and yet you're still so far." he tapped a button, changing half of the images on the screen to the tubes he has below his castle. He pressed another button, this time focusing on a massive tube bigger then the castle. How he fit that, we'll never know.  
"you still have some training to do, Starlight. You still have some powers lying dormant inside you. And this opponent- this terror from the past - will unleash them. I need you at full strength for my… Orochi's plan to work."  
A pair of red eyes glowed from within the tube, followed by a guttural growl.

The group panted as they ascended what was hopefully the last hill on their trek. It had taken them weeks but they're finally nearing it's end. As it was her journey, Starlight took the lead. She took it mostly to hide her guilt. Woona saw it and scoffed.  
"Come on, Star! Cheer up! We're getting close to finding your daddy! Aren't you excited?"  
She was. After all this time and this long journey; Baltimare, the Wyrm Pass, the blizzard and the cabin, Nightmare Moon, and the Leopard Village… it's been a long road and if she did it alone, she wouldn't be here. She had her friends to thank, and her family… and Bass.  
She has them to thank being this far. So… why does she feel guilty?  
"You okay, Star?" Woona asked.  
Golden Day flew on ahead to the top of the hill. Once she reached the top, she stopped and hovered there. What she saw on the other side made her smile. "Hey, Starlight! You're gonna want to see this!"  
Eager to see what's on the other side, the group bounded up the hill. Starlight took it slow, feeling as depressed as ever. Woona rolled her eyes, flew behind Starlight, and pushed her up.  
When the group reached the top, they whistled at the vista that spread out before them. When Woona reached with Starlight, she whistled as well. Even ms. Manic Depressive was impressed.  
Instead of a snow covered valley void of animals, they got a pristine green vista filled with all sorts of life. In short, Shangri-la.  
"I'd say that the Necromancer live's here." Bass said. Nobody argued; it would take someone with extraordinary powers to keep a forested valley pristine in such a cold and void environment.  
"So where would he live?" Sym asked, looking around to find some sort of settlement. Everyone's heads turned as well to find something that would resemble a house.  
Marian, who is once again wearing her Alicorn Amulet, thanks to Eris exorcising Nightmare Moon out of it, was the one to find it. "There. Would that work?" she said, pointing out to it. Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing and saw it. Lying in the middle of the valley was a castle that couldn't have been built by normal hands. It had to have built with magic.  
Great place for a hermit Necromancer to live.  
"Getting close to the end, huh Starlight?" Bass gladly asked.  
The Alicorn looked to him and smiled. Bass… he's the only one who truly wanted to help her. And the kiss back in the village, the confirmation of their love for each other… she is never going to forget that. Which makes what she's going to ask a lot harder.  
"Yeah… we are. Which is why…" she stopped short, finding it hard to even say.  
"Which is why… what?" Marian asked.  
Her heart aching, Starlight sighed. "Which is why I must go alone."  
"WHAT!?" they all yelled. She expected them to yell, but not that loudly.  
"But we've been though so much to just let you go alone now!" Windancer exclaimed.  
"I know!" she yelled, catching everyone off guard. "but I can't risk putting you all in danger again! I almost got you all killed! … I almost got my sister killed! I just can't put you in danger again. Not again."  
Everyone just stood there, looking at her with sympathetic eyes. It's not like they don't know what she's going though, they're just surprised to hear her snap this far in; this close into the end.  
Goldie walked up to her sister and hugged her. "Not a chance."  
"b-but Goldie…"  
"No buts! We've been though hell together and I think we can survive a Necromancer, if he turns out to be bad."  
"But I don't want to put you, or anyone, in harms way again. I almost lost you!"  
"well, I almost lost you when you ran away. And Dash lost Eris long ago. And we almost lost Cotton to that bad flu season a few years back. Face it, Starlight, we're with you till the end. When we go, we go. That's fate's design, not ours."  
To think that came from Goldie… even after she was at death's door, she's still willing to go head-long into danger. "Do you all… feel this way?" she asked her friends.  
"you kidding? We'd follow you into Tartarus, if it sent us down there." Peppy said. "we've been though so much in so short a time not to be encouraged. Plus, I'm curious about who this Necromancer looks like."  
"or who your dad is." Soarin' finished. Erys and Pumpkin nodded in agreement.  
Bass chuckled and walked up beside her. "Face it, Star. You're stuck with us."  
Starlight looked at her friends, adopting a tearful smile. Her friends are willing to risk their lives… for her. She wiped her eyes. "thanks, everyone. I needed that." everyone smiled back at her.  
"face it, you can't get rid of family that easy. I know, I tried." Marian said with a chuckle.  
"Hey!" Woona exclaimed.  
"not you, Glade." Glade gave her a mean look. "I tried to get rid of him back when we were fillies. Came right back home 2 hours later."  
"well, that explains how I would up at Zecora's!" Glade said. "And here I thought you were being nice." Marian playfully shrugged and blushed, causing Woona and Windancer to chuckle.  
A shadow suddenly draped over the land, slithering over them all. It disappearing as fast as it appeared.  
"What the hell was that?" Chaos asked.  
A orb of bright red light fell from the skies and crashed into the ground between them. The 4 Alicorns barely had enough time to cast barrier spells. The orb exploded and sent everyone flying in 4 groups in 4 directions.  
"Who's…"

Begin Song: watch?v=6tMqUYXe6VI Hade's Infernal Theme - Kid Icarus Uprising OST

A large black mass fell from the sky, spiraling like a corkscrew. The screw dove into the ground, creating a small hole. A tail came out and dug into the hole, stopping the mass from spinning.  
Wings spread out far, revealing their draconic owner underneath.  
"What in the world…?" Golden Day exclaimed.  
"Dad?" Windancer softly said to herself.  
eTu`nes, or rather Oscurita, opened his large mouth and roared loudly into the air. His demonic trumpet bellow echoed all the way back to Baltimare.  
The force from the roar flattened them all to the ground. "This can't be possible!" Glade yelled over the roar. "Oscurita was defeated long ago and turned back to eTu`nes! No way he could be here now!"  
"Then why is he here?!" Screw Loose yelled back. That was a question Glade couldn't answer.  
"I wish he could stop roaring!" Fire Ruby exclaimed. As if on cue, Oscurita did just that. He looked down at them all with a sinister growl.  
"D-dad…." Windancer shakingly said. She heard her father was a wild savage beast once upon a time but… she didn't imagine anything like this.  
"That's not the real him, Win." Marian said. "he's still back in Ponyville."  
The ground shook as Oscurita took a step. With each booming step, the monster got closer and closer.  
"H-how did the humans beat him?" Bass worriedly asked.  
"from what we heard, a whole lot of luck!" Filigree said.  
And they're gonna need it. Oscurita reared his head back, powering up his beam attack. They all remember that part of the story. "RUN!" Glade yelled.  
They did it too little, too late as the beam fired and hit the ground. Explosions crept up behind the group and sent them careening into the ground with the rubble from the explosion on top.

End Song.

Starlight opened her eyes to find herself floating in some black nexus. How did she get here? Is she dead? She gasped, went wide-eyed, and got up. "GOLDIE!" she called out. "BASS!" she called out again. Neither of them, or any of her friends, replied.  
Starlight began to freak out. "No. no no no no no no. I can't be dead! I can't be dead! I can't!" she broke down into tears. "I can't leave them. I can't leave my friends… I can't leave Goldie…" she held her heart. "I can't leave my Bass."  
A light shown behind her but she didn't see it due to her tears. "You are not dead, my precious daughter." daughter? No way this is Twilight. Starlight turned to look but the light shown bright enough to blind her eyes.  
"you have a destiny to fulfill…"

Begin Song: watch?v=EOkeKmub1oY Mirror Mirror - RWBY 'White' Trailer Song.

0:00.  
Starlight snapped awake and saw a pile of flaming boulders over her. Thing is, they were hovering over her, held aloft by a pink mist. She sure as hell didn't cast that.  
"How did…" she used her magic to get them off. She got up and saw that she wasn't hurt. No scars, no burns, no broken bones, no nothing. "a destiny…? What destiny…?"  
Oscurita's loud roar echoed though the day, knocking Starlight back to reality. She used her wings and got up to see her worst fear come true.  
All her friends lay dead or dying beneath the piles of rubble blasted by that monster. Tears formed in her eyes and her heart broke into pieces. "No…. no… they can't be dead…" she fell to her knees and fell forward, stopping herself from hitting the ground with her hooves. "No… Goldie… Bass…"  
The ground shook as Oscurita shifted. Starlight was there and he had his master's orders to fulfill.  
Grief and guilt ravaged the mare's soul. She didn't want them to come but they insisted. Now they're dead. The monster gave a guttural growl. At the same time, Starlight opened her eyes, angry as hell.  
"You…" she looked up at the monster, which towered over her. Her tears evaporated as power surged though her body. "I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!"  
The clone scoffed. What could a little mare do?  
Starlight spread her wings and powered up her magic. The monster scoffed again and spread his claws.

0:50.  
He swiped down at the ground, missing Starlight. She teleported away and reappeared in front of it's face. She powered up and fired a magic blast in it's face. It hit but didn't do much damage. She clearly forgot that part of history, that Oscurita is tough as hell.  
Speaking of which, the monster's ugly mug lunged at the mare, trying to bite her into two. Starlight moved as fast as Rainbow Dash and got out of the way.  
She flapped her wings and streaked though the air to the beast's back. She powered up the same spell and fired it like a machine gun, littering it's back in explosions, hoping one would do something.  
None of them did anything except put on dazzling displays.  
Oscurita turned around, it's right wing almost hitting the Alicorn in flight. She cut a hole in the leather on it's wing and spun right though it unharmed. The monster growled, spotting the little irritant. It opened it's mouth and fired it's beam attack at her. It missed, hitting the ground beneath her. That went up in smoke and flames.  
The heat and exhaust from the explosion propelled Starlight up into the air, right into Oscurita's line of view. It roared and swiped his claws at her. It hit, sending her falling to the ground.  
Star corrected herself in mid-flight and stopped herself in mid-air just as the monster swung it's tail at her. It crashed down on her, sending her falling to the ground again, this time hitting it. The tail followed not far behind and crushed her.  
The beast removed it's appendage, hoping it didn't kill her, otherwise it's master is going to be furious.

1:39.  
A heavily injured Starlight struggled to get up from the ground, not about to let this monster get the better of her. She felt that she had a lot of broken bones and a few collapsed organs.  
"You…" she growled at the monster. Blood fell from her mouth as she said it. "You… you killed my friends… you killed my family…!"  
Bass' hoof twitched but she didn't notice it. She was too angry to notice.  
"I will…"  
Her Cutie Mark began to glow, as did the ground below her. The blood and tears that came out of her fell up and evaporated.  
The powered mare hovered above the ground, spreading her wings wide. Her eyes turned red, the whites turned green, and purple fire came out of the ends.  
"I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER! ARAHHHHH!"

2:05.  
A clock-faced glyph appeared underneath her and spread out. Unlike the last few times it appeared, this one was blood red and sparking with electricity.  
Fearing it made a mistake, Oscurita backed up in fear.  
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Starlight yelled. 5 small beams of light shot out of the glyph. 2 wrapped around it's legs, 2 wrapped around it's arms, and one wrapped around it's neck. The giant dragon struggled to get loose but he was stuck tight.  
The glyph glowed again, this time sending sparkles floating up into the air. Starlight concentrated on a spell that will destroy that thing and make him suffer while doing so.  
Bass gained rudimentary consciousness to see what is happening. Those eyes… they always appear whenever she's angry. "s-starlight…" he struggled to say.  
The sparkles spun around Starlight at speeds up to Mach 5. "You…" she growled. Oscurita tried to get loose again but couldn't. the sparkles aimed at the dragon. A orb appeared between then and gained power. "DIE!"  
The org fired a massive and powerful beam of light. It struck and engulfed the overgrown drake, causing it's shackles to disappear.  
Oscurita suffered every single pain imaginable to dragon-kind, even pains that aren't supposed to happen to drakes. It roared in intense agony for as long as Starlight deemed fit.  
Starlight felt… happy that this thing was suffering. It killed her friends, so she should respond in kind.  
Right?

2:56. End Song.

"there. Done." Twilight folded up the letter and got up from her stool. She started the letter when Dinky had just given birth to her twins and had just now finished. Now she just needs to find Spike so he can send it to Starlight and her friends. Today's Thursday, which means he and Rarity are… eh… doing the deed.  
"Maybe waiting 10 minutes wouldn't hurt." she commented. She headed for the door to get a snack from Sugarcube Corner when she felt a shiver go up her spine.  
Something horrible just happened. She's sure of it. She seems to be getting that a lot since Starlight left.

Sombra watched as Starlight put Oscurita though horrible agony. "seems her powers have now fully awakened." he said. He got up off his throne. "which means it's time for me to get ready for my part in this charade."

Starlight cut off the attack, feeling that 10 minutes was enough for the monster. Oscurita stood as still as a statue, not moving, not making a sound. The glyph disappeared, as did the sparkles. Her eyes stayed the same, however.  
"Be… gone…"  
As if scripted, the monster disintegrated into snowflake shaped diamonds. The horde of jewels fell to the ground and spread out over a wide area.  
The colors in her eyes went away and Starlight suddenly blacked out.

"..arlight. Starlight. Starlight."  
Goldie's voice echoed though the Alicorn's ears as she woke up. She painfully opened her eyes to see her sister, Bass, Glade, Woona, and Marian standing over her, looking at her with worried expressions. Their worried expressions changed to thankful when she woke up.  
"Starlight! You okay!?" Goldie asked.  
"ergh… uh… er…. Goldie?" Starlight snapped awake when she said it. "GOLDIE!" she suddenly hugged her. "Oh, you're okay! I thought you were dead!"  
Goldie chocked under her sister's bear hug. "Agh! Starlight. You're choking me! Stop!"  
A pain in her head caused Star to stop. She let her go and held her head. "Agh!"  
"You okay?" Marian asked.  
"y-yeah. Just a… just a headache." she replied. "what happened. I thought you were all dead."  
"guess we got lucky." Woona said.  
"and what happened to you?" Glade said, taking over. "we woke up and saw the monster disintegrate into crystals and you fall unconscious."  
"…unconscious?"  
"…that was 15 hours ago."  
"15 hours?" she was out that long? Man. What did she do? "wow. 15 hours? I was out a whole day?" everyone nodded in confirmation. "ah." she got another pain and scratched her head this time.  
"So… what happened?" Bass asked.  
Starlight remembered everything that happened. She caused that monster so much agony. She didn't want to say anything. "I… I don't know. It's a blur." Bass knew what had happened; he saw it all happen, but he kept silent. Better to stay silent about this then confront her.

Thankful that her friends are all right, Starlight laid her head down on a rock to rest. So much had happened, she deserves a break. She and her friends will go to the castle when they wake up. When, they don't know. But this is Starlight's journey; they'll go when she goes.  
Seems when they left the village, Bass forgot to pack a blanket and even though this was a green realm, that doesn't mean it's not cold as heck. Starlight saw him shivering and felt sorry. She got up, walked over, laid down beside him, and draped a wing over him.  
He felt the sudden warmth and lightly opened his eyes to see the wing over him. Guess she wants to start a relationship after all. He turned around and wrapped a fore hoof around her back.  
Goldie, who couldn't get to sleep, saw this. Like most fillies, she is feeling ecstatic. She's gonna get a brother-in-law, and a cool one at that.


	33. Encouragement

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 32

Encouragement

After a long, arduous journey fraught with danger; Wyrms, Windigoes, Nightmare Moon, Timberwolves, and a surprise return from Oscurita, they had finally arrived at the home of the Necromancer, the sorcerer or sorceress who will help them find Starlight's father… if he's still alive.

The castle gates towered above them, tall enough for that Oscurita fella to come though.  
"WOW! This thing is big!" Fire Ruby exclaimed happily. "the Necromancer lives in this place?!"  
"that's what the Leopards said." Glade said, looking at the castle gates from the air with the rest of the Alicorns and Pegasi. He proceeded to quote the line they gave them. "'To the north, you will find the Necromancer of your design.' and this is the only thing to the north."  
Starlight looked up at the gates from the ground. She's here. She's finally here. And yet, why does she feel so afraid? Bass snickered and wrapped his hooves around her neck. "You exited, Star? You're gonna find your dad."  
"y-yeah. M-my dad." she shakingly said.  
Bass heard the nervousness in her voice. "You okay?"  
Starlight shakingly looked to him with sorrow filled eyes. "no… no, I'm not."  
"Why not? I thought this was what you wanted." Goldie said.  
"it is, but…" Star stopped short, having trouble breathing out of nervousness.  
"but what?"  
Starlight gulped down her nervousness and looked up at the gates again.

Starlight:  
all my life, I felt like someone was calling me…  
All my life, I felt like I was someone else…  
All my life, I felt like I wasn't meant to be…  
All my life, I felt like I wasn't me…

Goldie looked to her cousins, wondering if they knew why she's acting like this. They have nothing.

Starlight:  
in Ponyville, I felt out of place.  
In Canterlot, I felt like a freak.  
All my life, I needed answers to why…  
Why I was born this way…

She looked back up to the gates, trying hard to keep her tears hidden.

Starlight:  
was I a mistake…  
Was I a product of chance…  
Was I meant to be me…  
Or was I a accident…  
These are answers I need to know, answers I'm afraid to take…  
Just what was the point of my life…  
What was the point of me…?

Is that it? Is she nervous to find out why she's her, why she's a Alicorn? Why she has power over time? Why she's even alive? Marian lightly chuckled with a smile.

Marian:  
is that all, Starlight Sparkle?  
Is that all you want to know…?  
Does it matter, no it doesn't,  
Because you have friends like us…

Starlight looked back to her friends and family.

Goldie:  
yeah. Just look back on your life, from your filly-hood to now…  
Does any of those things you did look like products of a mistake?

Windancer:  
you helped me out when I was sick,  
Helping me get better every day…

Soarin':  
and when I busted my wing,  
Who was the first to arrive to help me though?

Screw Loose:  
and if you haven't run away,  
Me and Glade never would've met.  
You may call yourself a mistake,  
But I would call you a miracle…

Starlight was suddenly pulled up by Woona's magic into the air.

Woona:  
a mistake? Ha! That's a laugh.  
You are far from it…  
Could a mistake, as you claim,  
Be the best friend I've ever had…?

It didn't take long for everyone else to join in.

Mares:  
You are the best friend we've ever had,  
Mistake or not, we don't care…  
You are the best friend we've ever had,  
Within our hearts, that is true…

Starlight looked at her friends and smiled tearfully. They are true friends though and though. She feels lucky to have friends like them.

All (minus guards):  
you are the best friend we've ever had,  
And whatever happens today…  
You will still be our very best friend,  
No matter what anyone says…

Filigree:  
no matter what the world throws at us…

Bass:  
no matter what dangers bar our way…

All (minus guards):  
you will stay, forevermore…  
Our best friend…

Starlight tearfully looked at her friends. With a shuddered sob, she wiped her eyes. "*Sniffle* thanks, guys. Thanks… thanks for everything." everyone looked at her with genuine smiles, knowing full well that they will never leave her.  
Filigree gagged then burped out a small puff of green fire. The fire turned into a letter. "a letter?" she commented. "a multi-paged letter?"  
Bass grabbed the letter, opened it up, and quickly read it's contents. Once he finished, he turned to Star. "Star, I think this is for you."  
"Me?" she used her magic to pull it over and read. She read it aloud for everyone to hear.  
"Dear Bass Clef…" Star stopped there and looked to him. "Bass?" Bass shrugged, forgotten to tell her he wrote a letter to Twilight. Star gave him a playful look before returning to the letter.

"Dear Bass Clef…  
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, the mother of Starlight Sparkle and Goldie.  
"I thank you for looking out for my daughters the best you can… though… none of us expected Nightmare Moon to return. We all thought she was destroyed when the humans came. We never expected her to be in the Amulet, Trixie included. She feels so guilty for this whole mess and I'm sure Marian feels the same as well. But I don't blame either of them for what happened to Goldie. And I'm sure you did the best you could to protect her. Hopefully she's all right. I don't know what I would do if my daughters would die.  
"if she's feeling down, please tell Marian that it wasn't her fault. It was just a… freak twist of fate nobody saw coming.  
"and I trust you to look after Starlight the best you can, Bass. You've been with her since Baltimare and she's spoken highly of you in the previous letter. You sound like a very handsome, very capable young stallion. If the picture in my head serves me correctly, you're also quite a looker."

Bass blushed out of embarrassment. "next time, I'm sending a picture."

"now… now with that said, can you please hand this letter to Starlight? I have something I wish to tell her."

"Me?" Star blinked. She flipped to the next page.

Begin Song: watch?v=WOJ6bzveAlE Dearly Beloved - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep version

"Starlight… I honestly hope you're reading this. If not… then I'm gonna speak regardless.  
"when you came into my life 18 years ago… I was scared. I didn't know what to do or how I would act as a new mother. I thought I was gonna be a failure. But… but Halo helped me though it. I know you don't exactly have the highest regards for him now, but listen… please…  
"when I first got pregnant, Halo helped me see how a accident can be a very good thing. And I was surprised to hear Celestia say she went though the same predicament as me. But Halo stuck by me though it all, helping me whenever I needed it. And Starlight… he was the first to hold you.  
"Halo may not be your true father, but he loved you regardless. That's why he lied to you all these years; he did it out of love. Love for his daughter. A daughter that made him smile and laugh. He never cared that you weren't his real daughter. He loved you with all his heart regardless. That's also how I feel as well.  
"Starlight… regardless of what you find… regardless of who your real father is… know that me and Halo will always love you. Even if your real father turns out to be the worst stallion in Equestria or a rather cross Gryphon or Dragon… we will still love you regardless. Me, Halo, your aunt Cadence, the off-world humans… everyone.  
"we love you and your friends from the bottom of our hearts. That… that is something that will never change.

"Love… your darling mother…  
"Twilight Sparkle…"

Tears pattered across the papers, tears belonging to one Starlight Sparkle. "mom…" she said, all choked up. She held the letter close to her heart and let the tears fall "thank you…" A sympathetic Bass tapped her on the back. Starlight looked to him with a smile.  
A second letter came via Fili mail. This one was short and to the point. The dragon/pony hybrid read this one.

"P.S. I forgot to mention this. Tell Windancer she just became a aunt! Dinky gave birth 2 hours ago to bouncing baby twins; a male Unicorn and a female Pegasus named Oscurita and Ditzy, respectively. Derpy is taking being a grandma in strides, though you should've seen her reaction when she first saw them. Priceless."

"Whoa! You hear that, Windancer!" Filigree happily exclaimed. The mare heard it but couldn't believe it. A aunt? At her age? Windancer comedically fell backwards, fainting as soon as she hit the ground.  
"I think she heard it." Marian said. She used her magic to help her up.  
"Me… a aunt… a aunt… me…"  
"oy. If she's gonna be like this inside, I vote we leave her out here." Season said.  
"agreed." Peppy said. Half of the group chuckled and laughed, Starlight among them. She needed this; family. All this time, she had forgotten what it was really about; being with someone who cares for you; who loves you. And Halo did all that for her in spades. And she attacked him. Not exactly a proud father/daughter moment.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by Bass, who placed a hoof on her shoulder. "So… ready to find out who your real dad is?"  
A feeling inside Starlight's gut didn't want to know. So many things could be wrong with him and yet so many things could be so right as well. Besides, if her dad isn't all she aspired him to be, she still has all her friends and her family to go back on. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She waited for this moment for a long time.  
"yeah."  
As if on cue, the massive gate behind them stirred. They creaked open and spread out, allowing them passage inside the castle's interior. This is it. Do or die.  
Gathering up what courage she lost, Starlight was the first to walk in. time to finally get some answers.


	34. Daddy Dearest

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 33

Daddy Dearest

The massive gates to the Necromancer's castle opened wide in a foreboding way. They creaked and groaned up until they fully opened. Starlight was the first one to enter the castle, followed by Bass, Goldie, and Glade. Everyone soon followed afterwards.  
The outside… didn't look like what they expected. Outside, the castle looked dreary and gloomy. Inside… it looked lavish and decorative. A complete criss-cross.  
Relics from ages long past hung off the walls, some that have been missing for thousands of years. Starlight saw a object that looked like a pocket watch. A object… that looked like her Cutie Mark. She looked to her flank then back to the watch. It has to be a coincidence.  
As the group grew closer to the center of this audience hall, they saw a series of screens floating over a red throne. Sitting on the throne, his back to them, was a black unicorn, who stared intently at the screens. Each one played a different event happening elsewhere the planet. One such event showed Gilda becoming a first time mother.  
"you know that Aunt Gilda was pregnant?" Eris Shine asked her brother. Soarin' shrugged back to her.  
Their advancement was halted by a invisible barrier, which they found when Cotton accidentally ran into it. "That's close enough!" the unicorn said in a bellowing voice. The voice was frightening enough to make Goldie hide behind Starlight and Fire Ruby behind Filigree. Chaos Gun grunted and held his head in pain. Something about him… felt very familiar. "who are you ponies and what are you doing in my castle?"  
Everyone stayed silent. His voice must've scared them. As this was her journey, Starlight approached as close as she could. "a-a-a-are you the Necromancer?"  
The foreboding stallion turned his head slightly. "who wants to know?"  
Star gulped. So scary. "m-my name is Starlight Sparkle…" the stallion's ears flickered when he heard that. "…a-and I traveled a long way to find you."  
A moment of silence followed, which grew into moments of fear. "Starlight Sparkle, you say?"  
"y-yes."  
The dark stallion got up from his throne, causing the screens to go away. Using his magic, he sent his throne away. He turned to the group. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."  
In a word, this stallion was scary. His red cape, his body armor, his black color fur and mane, his red horn; everything about him was scary. When he turned, his cape moved with him. Everyone gulped out of fear. Necromancers are as fearful as every story says they are.  
The dark stallion started down the stairs. Though initially fearful, Starlight steeled herself enough to talk to him. "I traveled a long way to find you because I've been told you're one of the most powerful magic users on the planet, minus the princess'."  
"Indeed I am." he replied halfway down.  
"I came all this way… because I'd hope you'd give me the answers to the questions that have plagued me all my life."  
"and I will." he reached the bottom and came face to face with her. Something about him felt eerily familiar. So foreboding. His entire aura could engulf all Alicorn's combined. He carries himself with such cold confidence and in such a frightening aura… he's not normal. "Ask away."  
Starlight gulped again then focused. "Okay… um… who are you?"  
The stallion chuckled. Even his chuckle was frightening. Something was off with this guy. "My name is Sombra, a Unicorn Necromancer, and I've been waiting for you for a long time… my daughter."  
Starlight gasped and went wide-eyed when he said that. "D-Daughter?"  
"Daughter!?" her friends, including the guards, all exclaimed in surprise.  
Sombra nodded. "indeed. I am the father you've been seeking, Starlight."  
Starlight couldn't believe it. She went looking for the Necromancer to find her father… and the Necromancer was her father. Sombra… she looked at him and finally remembered why he looked so familiar. He's the stallion who saved her from the wolves when she was a filly.  
"I hate to be a party pooper, but how can you be her father?" Bass asked. "For all we know, you're lying to get on her good side!"  
Starlight looked at him with such anger, it was terrifying. It certainly caught him off guard. Sombra chuckled. "I figured you would ask that." he already had a good explanation. "I assume Starlight has done this more then once."  
Without concentrating or even doing anything, his eyes turned red, the whites turned green, and the purple fire came out of the edges of his eyes. The group collectively gasped. She did do that.  
"Wait. I do that?" Starlight asked, not really grasping it.  
"Um…" Marian pondered if there's a right way to say this. "every time you get angry… your eyes turn into Sombra's; all red and green and purple."  
"Every time?"  
"Yeah. You did it when we went up against those Timberwolves, and when we battled the Windigoes and the Wyrm." Season explained.  
"it's a family trait." Sombra explained. "it can only be passed down though my genealogy. And that means…"  
"you… you are my father…" Starlight finished. Without a warning, she hugged him. "you have no idea how much I've wanted to see you! You have no idea how much I've been though to find you! Why did you leave Mom? Why did you…"  
Sombra used his magic to move her back a ways. "If you'll calm down, I'll explain everything." Starlight and her friends did just that. What story Sombra had in store for them, they don't know, but it's gonna be worth a listen regardless.  
Sombra used his magic to summon forth a screen which he used to tell his story.

Begin Song: watch?v=wO1FdPXlsWw From Shadow Unto Crystal - King Sombra's Theme by Youtuber Carbon Maestro

"when one lives as I do, you are void of female contact. It had been too long a time since I held a mare; long it has been since I smelled flower perfume, long since I caressed a woman in bed. Long since I… had relations. And if any Mare saw me for what I am now… they wouldn't care for me. So I was… forced to using houses of ill repute. And one I happened to visit one fateful night 18 years ago…"  
"…had my mother captive." Starlight finished.  
"yes. And you know the rest of that story."  
Starlight shook her head. That doesn't explain everything. "But why didn't you try to talk to mom afterwards? Why hide all the way out here?"  
Sombra didn't chuckle this time. Instead, he adopted a somber look. "I was afraid."  
"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Woona asked.  
Sombra glanced to the Alicorn. "Afraid of what would happen." nobody really understood what he meant by that until he went further into it. "once upon a time, I was like you all; happy, vibrant, full of youth, and had great friends. That is, until I discovered my special talent."  
"Special Talent?" Sym asked.  
Sombra powered up his magic via his crackling horn and let it loose. At first nothing happened. Talk about boring. That is until Eris looked down at the floor and yelled. Everyone looked and yelled as well.  
Their own shadows moved and turned, showing red eyes. Next thing they knew, the shadows ascended from the floor and stood in front of them all, like demons out of a fairy tale.  
"My special talent is the manipulation of shadows. I can use them to form endless soldiers, engulf the world in eternal night…" he paused for a moment, then stopped his magic, letting the shadows go back to normal. "and get rid of them entirely."  
"how's getting rid of them a bad thing?" Fire Ruby asked.  
Sombra used his magic to pull down one of the screens. It flickered and show the cargo hold of a ship. None of them remembered it. "do you know what Ka is?" everyone shook their heads 'no'. "Ka is the Egyptian term for soul; for life. And it resides in the shadows of all things. I learned this when the humans arrived on this world. When they went to reverse the spell Trixie cast that turned all the ponies into human, I went aboard the Orion and read up on the humans. Anyway, I tried this Ka thing on a rat. Sure enough, it worked. Not at first; over the course of a few years, but it does kill them. Slowly and painfully. Who knew something from a human world would work here?"  
the screen flickered and showcased scenes of battle and destruction, scenes from Requiem's war with her brother Catalyst back on earth 20 years ago, lone before they arrived on this world. "A fascinating race, humans. They'll go to war just over the most puniest of subjects, like a rose or a girl named Troy." he chuckled softly to himself. "Seems the friends of your parents were anomalies in that manner." he sent the screen away.  
"that doesn't explain why you're out here." Glade said.  
"technically, it does, Glade Yggdrasill. No pony in the history of this world has had such command over shadows as I have had. Some might say it's a abnormality. It also ruined my life; my friends and family shunned and abandoned me. And if that wasn't bad enough, Princess Celestia came to 'purge' me. I knew she meant eradication so I fled before she arrived. I've been hiding out in this forsaken land ever since, venturing out only when the call of nature demands it." he turned his attention to his daughter. "that's also why I never talked to Twilight."  
"why not?" Starlight asked.  
"*scoff* how would she react, knowing the father of her child is a manipulator of shadows? Simple; she'd report me to Celestia and she'd send me away, probably to the moon. And when I found out you had power over time, I went to rescue you. Heh. Turned into a battle for my life against those Timberwolves instead. And it turns out I didn't need to go, with your friends willing to go with you into Tartarus to help you find answers."  
"How do you know about that?" Marian asked.  
"I know a lot of things, La Luz De La Marian." Yeesh. Full name. he used his magic to pull the screens down. They turned on, playing events happening right now. One screen focused on Derpy and Dinky playing with Dinky's twins. Another showed Changelings and Ponies playing a game of soccer in the Changelings country. "with these, I see everything that happens all over the world. I saw the Humans arrival, I saw the return of Nightmare Moon, The Winter War, Discords reformation, the Rise and Fall of Oscurita and his handler Orochi, and your journey and your battles with the Wrym, the Windigoes, Nightmare Marian-" Marian twitched at that. "-and the Timberwolves."  
Their journey… "there's one thing about our journey that puzzles me." Sweet Song said. "Chaos Gun said that he was created by someone, someone powerful."  
"Yeah, and my dad, who was once Oscurita, is back in Ponyville with mom." Windancer added. "how could he have been here?"  
Sombra, without delay, switched one of the screens to show that monster made out of dark fire and smoke. "I take it you've seen him before, right?"  
"the monster from the Leopard Village." Golden Day said.  
"Yes. His name is Ambrose. And I created him."  
"You what?" Glade snarled, getting ready to attack him. His guards followed suit. Sombra raised a hoof, halting them.  
"Peace, Captain. Ambrose's creation was a accident. I tested to see if this Ka thing would work on buildings like my castle. It doesn't. what I didn't know is what would come from this castle."  
"What do you mean?"  
"This place had a previous owner, a very horrid and wretched beast whose name I can't remember. When he died, his spirit stayed. And when I tried the Ka spell on the castle…"  
"you unleashed Ambrose."  
"yes. I quickly sealed him away in the ice far from here. I didn't expect a village of Leopards to build a settlement there or for you all to arrive. And I certainly wasn't expecting him to break out. It was he who created Chaos Gun and the Oscurita clone who attacked you yesterday."  
"is that true, Chaos Gun?" Sweet Song asked.  
Chaos scratched his hurting head. "I… I think so. I don't remember, remember?"  
This answered a lot of questions, but the ones foremost on Starlight's mind. "there's… one thing that's still bugging me." Sombra looked to her. "Why… why am I a Alicorn? And why was a born with a Cutie Mark? And why do I have power over time?"  
Sombra closed his eyes and looked away. "Sorry, but I don't have any answers to give you. That's as much a mystery to me as it is to you."  
That wasn't the answer she wanted. But if her own father doesn't know… then why is she one? Why is she a Alicorn? Why does she have this power?  
"but…" Sombra said, getting her attention once again. "I do know that Alicorns are never born without good reason. The cosmos has a role for you to play, Starlight. The only question is what and why."  
That's something that's plagued her for a long time. But she and her friends have gotten a lot of answers from this; who created Chaos, who the Necromancer was… who Starlight's real father was… she may have not gotten all the answers she wanted but it was better then nothing. "If you say so… dad…"  
Sombra used his magic to summon up the shadows of his guests again. He gestured them to leave and they did. "I'll prepare rooms for your stay. You can all stay as long as you like."  
Out of humility to their host, Glade, Woona, and Marian bowed. The others did not. "Thank you, Lord Sombra."  
"Lord Sombra…" he repeated. He chuckled for a moment. "fits, seeing as how this is my estate." with a quick flash, a sound of a door being unlocked echoed. "you may have noticed a barrier on your way to my castle. That's to keep prying magic eyes away. I have disabled it long enough for you to send a letter to your loved ones. You only have 30 minutes so make it fast."  
"Thanks… dad…" Starlight said. She still had trouble saying it. Sombra nodded and turned to leave. "Wait a moment." he stopped in midstep and looked back. "If-if it's not too much trouble, think we can sent a picture with this letter? My mom would want to see who the Stallion was who… made me."  
Seemed only fair. She did come all this way to find out who her father really was. Sombra used his magic to summon up a wallet-sized picture that hovered in front of her. Starlight took it and nodded.  
Sombra nodded back and left. When he was certain they didn't see him, he let loose a evil sneer and snicker.  
The bait is cast and the fish are nibbling. Just play nice and be patient and he'll net the catch.

End Song.

When Sombra left, Goldie jumped onto her sister's back. "How about that, Star? You found your real dad!"  
Starlight chuckled at her hyper sister and used her magic to pull her off. "yeah, I did. But he's not quite what I expected."  
"how so?"  
"well, I didn't expect him to look so… dark."  
"eh, well, ponies can never expect their real parents to look like what they are in their imaginations."  
"ah, well, that's true." Star replied. "and at least I know why he never bothered to find me or mom."  
"not to mention answers to a lot of questions." Peppy said.  
"Yeah…" Starlight looked back to her wings and cutie mark. "…but not all of them…"  
"some is better then none." Glade said.  
"Yeah." she held up the picture of her dad. "some is better then none." she chuckled. "mom is gonna be surprised when she finds out who dad was."


	35. Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville V

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 34

Meanwhile, Back in Ponyville V

Today is the 18th anniversary of the end of the Winter War, the horrid conflict between the Ponies and the Changelings.  
Instigated by Queen Chrysalis, the Changelings, with the aid of Oscurita and his monsters made out of shadow, were able to take Canterlot and oust the royalty, effective taking Equestria over. After countless retreats, the ponies ended up in the Gryphon Kingdom, getting their aid when the Gryphon capital was attacked by the Changelings. Together, along with the Humans, they were able to take the fight back to Canterlot, taking it back and making Oscurita run. Not wanting to lose their queen, and because time as a prisoner with certain ponies helped melt her cold heart, Jax cast her Personality Shift spell and split Chrysalis into 2 parts; Good and Evil. After a long battle, they destroyed the evil half and the good half ended the war by signing a treaty, ending the war and leaving the Ponies and Changelings on good terms, something that was great for Fluttershy and Mirror's Edge, who hooked up just hours after the end. And those two felt the treaty should be cemented with a wedding, which they did. With theirs.  
As they have done every year since the end of the war, the ponies of Ponyville hold a vigil for all those lost, including Rainbow Dash's brother Soarin', and hold a vibrant wake in their honor. The wake includes dances, good food, great friends, and ends with a movie night, where they play a flick in the sky using a special projector. But this one was… different.

"your arrival was… unexpected, Queen Chrysalis." Princess Celestia said to the visiting queen.  
"well, I like the throw a good surprise." Chrysalis, or rather her good half, said.  
"that you do. So… to what to we own the pleasure?"  
"well… I wanted to talk."  
Talk? Might as well hear what she has to say. Celestia used her magic to summon a few chairs to them. They both sat down in them. "Talk about what?"  
"there have been reports of… unrest in my country."  
"Unrest?"  
Chrysalis used her magic to summon up a few motion pictures of her country, and what is happening. "we're not sure how but all of the shadows belonging to Changelings are… moving."  
"Moving?"  
"all on their own, like from one of the humans horror movies. They don't do the same motions and sometimes attack other shadows, normally of buildings and trees and animals. Some have just… gone entirely."  
"entirely?" that has never happened before.  
"Yes. And those whose shadows have gone are feeling… strange. Ill, even. We don't know how to explain it."  
And neither does Celestia. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of Equestria. Shadows moving on their own, some devouring other shadows while others just disappeared. This is a mystery that can't be explained simply.  
"well… we're not sure how but we'll figure something out." Celestia vowed.  
The queen felt thankful for that. At the least, they can care for the ill. She doubts they'll find a answer for this shadow business soon. "thank you, Celestia." she nodded and got up. As did the princess. "So… where's Luna and Cadence? Why aren't they here?"  
"they're down in Ponyville, taking part in a celebration ending the Winter War."  
"Ah. I heard about those. Vibrant parties honoring the dead, right?"  
"yes. They're quite lavish."  
"ha ha ha. I heard that as well." Chrysalis' vibrant mood quickly turned to sorrow. she looked up at the mural representing the end of the Winter War, with Requiem, Jax, and Lina casting a joint spell that destroyed Dark Chrysalis. "that was such a needless and bloody war. Why did I ever start it?"  
Celestia shook her head. "that wasn't you. That was your evil half. She started it. And you ended it. And she started it to care for her people."  
Celestia didn't say or do anything for a moment. She walked next to her and patted her on the back. "it's okay, Chrysalis." the queen smiled to her friend. "Come on. We got a party to get to."

the party celebrating the end of the war down in Ponyville was already in full swing, with dancing, games, great food, good friends, and a lively atmosphere. They already had their moment of silence for the fallen warriors of the war; that was half a hour ago.

Derpy flew overhead, carrying her niece and nephew Ditzy and Oscurita on her back. "you and your brother are lucky to have been born close to the best times of the year." she lovingly said to the baby Pegasus. Ditzy giggled like a baby, her eyes filled with the vibrant colors. "Hearth's Warming Eve, Hearts and Hoove's day, the celebration of the end of the War. Face it, you two are lucky to be born at this time of the year."  
"MOM!" Dinky yelled from below. "Ditzy and Oscurita's not supposed to be that high yet." Derpy chuckled nervously and flew down. She carefully landed and handed her niece and nephew back to their mother. The babies laughed as they were handed back. "seems they had a good time." Dinky commented.  
"yeah. You might think they're not ready for such heights but I flew higher with you." Derpy said.  
Dinky shivered in fear. "yeah. I remember."  
"oh, it wasn't that bad."  
Dinky gave her mother a little bit of a sneer. "Mom. I have nightmares about me falling. What does that tell you?"  
Derpy went 'un…'

Being the monster that aided Dark Chrysalis during the war, eTu`nes didn't feel much like partying. He's been like this ever since he integrated back into society. Derpy tried celebration after celebration to get her husband to join in, but no results. It also doesn't help that every time it rolls around, the ponies are reminded that eTu`nes WAS Oscurita. Except for Derpy's friends, they avoid him during the celebration.  
"Come on! Give it back!"  
The squeak of a little filly reached the drake's ears. He turned to see a little filly, no more then 4, be bullied by a couple of colts. The filly got pushed into a puddle of mud and the colt's laughed. eTu`nes took charge and went over. "Hey! Stop it!" he said in a scary tone. The colt's yelped at the sight of him and ran for it. He helped the filly up and helped her scrape the mud off. "You okay" he asked.  
"yeah." the filly replied.  
"Why were they bullying you?"  
"well, I… I have a bit of a reputation for being a klutz." she replied.  
"a klutz?" that sounds a lot like Derpy.  
"Yeah… I'm always tripping and causing things to crash." she looked at up the drake with curious eyes. "thanks for getting rid of them." eTu`nes was surprised by the girl's appearance. She looks a lot like Derpy when they first met 30 years ago; same hair, same eyes, same calm voice. "You okay?" the filly asked.  
The dragon shook his head, snapping out of it. "un… yeah." he stood there in silence for a moment, something the filly found odd. He shook his head and helped her up. "think you'll be okay?"  
"Yeah. My mom and dad aren't far." she turned to leave but didn't leave. She looked back to him. "why did you help me?"  
eTu`nes lightly chuckled. "well… you remind me of someone I met when I was your age. Plus, nobody likes bullies."  
"Agreed." she turned to leave again but didn't. again. "My name is Wind Surfer. And thanks for the help, Mr. eTu`nes." the filly ran off to find her parents.  
The drake warmly chuckled. Guess someone's not afraid of him on this day.

Twilight sat at a picnic table, depressing flicking a hay-dog up and down her paper plate. Fluttershy saw her and went over to talk. "are you okay, Twilight?"  
Twi glanced up to her, then back down to her plate. "not really, Fluttershy."  
"And why not, darling?" Rarity asked, sitting down with them with Lyra.  
Twi sighed as she flicked her hay-dog again. "Starlight always used to love this. She loved the dunk tank."  
"I remember she liked to dunk me in it." Rarity chuckled.  
Twilight lightly chuckled. She did remember that. Rarity was so angry, it was borderline funny. "yeah… I do remember. But…"  
"but what?" Lyra asked.  
Twilight sighed again. "I… I found out that I'm pregnant."  
The 3 mares looked at each other with slack jaws. This would be her 3rd one. "Really!?" Fluttershy happily exclaimed. "Well, that's a happy thing, right?"  
"I found out… the day Starlight ran away…"  
That killed the mood. "Oh."  
"oh, dear." Lyra gasped.  
"yeah. I was planning on revealing it at Glade's party but… but Starlight changed that." They remember. They remember that she had quite a breakdown when she found out about Halo not being her real dad. Even nearly killed him.  
"Does Halo know?" Rarity asked.  
"not yet. You two were the first I told about it. I just didn't want to tell him with both our children gone, right?"  
Rarity nodded in agreement. she knew the feeling. She remembers Filigree running away when she found out she was going to be a big sister, saying she was never gonna come back. Never made it pass Zecora's when she turned back, pleading to come back home. "but you have to tell him sometime, right? And being a depressive isn't healthy for the baby."  
"I know that. I'm not dumb. And I wasn't… up till Hearth's Warming Eve. I was reminded that Starlight and Goldie aren't here. I got happy again when Dinky had her twins but… with this festival…"  
"it has been a hard couple of weeks, hasn't it?" Lyra said. "Our children leaving… it's like the town's half empty."  
"Yeah… it's been dreary." Rarity, Lyra, and Fluttershy said in agreement.  
And it's about to get even more dreary.

The carriage carrying Celestia and Chrysalis arrived at the edge of Ponyville. They both walked off and headed for town.  
"also, don't be surprised if any of the elements seem… depressed. They're going though a tough time." Celestia explained.  
"I heard." Chrysalis said. "having your child run away is never a pleasant feeling. But having a whole group leave… just to help someone find her father…"  
"You never met Starlight. She's not like most ponies. And she knows how to make great friends… friends willing to help her with a personal task."  
A sudden pluff of green fire got in their faces, lightly singing their faces. They looked to their right to see Spike standing there, holding his mouth. "sorry. One too many bean burritos."  
The two rulers gave each other a garbed look. They started into town again when another green fire came. "Again!?" they both exclaimed.  
Spike fanned his mouth and licked his chops. "Sorry, but that wasn't me…" the fire spiraled and transformed into a envelope. Spike grabbed it and looked at the header. "From Starlight…"

A much more cheerful Twilight squealed in excitement as she hit the bull's-eye of a dunk tank, sending Edge into the warm water. "YES! 3 for 3!"  
Edge pulled himself out and squirted the water out like a fountain. "Yeah. Fun…" he listlessly said.  
"seems like you in quite the hometown mood." Friction said as she and Leon walked to the tank.  
"Yep." Edge happily said. "and I'm surprised to see you two here."  
"we came with Queen Chrysalis. She's currently up at Canterlot visiting with Celestia." Leon explained.  
"why?"  
The two advisors looked at each other with somber expressions. "Something bad is happening to our people, Edge. Something very, very bad. We're slowly dying."  
"What? How?"  
"We don't know how he or she or it is doing it but someone is taking our shadows and manipulating them. And Changelings who had their shadows taken were reported sick within days."  
That's not good news. Who can manipulate shadows that well? He heard running feet and thought that the owner of the tank got the balls and headed back to the table. He didn't expect to see Spike come running up.  
"Twilight!" he called out. He got her attention.  
"Spike? What's wrong?"  
He ran up to her and panted. Once he caught his breath, he show her the envelope. "it's from Starlight…"  
"Starlight?" she gasped. Twilight took the letter and looked at it. The envelope was sealed, so Spike didn't read it. She has a bad feeling about this. She just sent Starlight her letter. Could she have…

The lights at the library came on as Twilight quickly walked in. she had gotten the envelope open and pulled out the letter just as her friends followed her in, most of them wondering what got her in such a frenzy. Twi threw the envelope onto a table and started to look at the letter when, "what did she say?" Vinyl asked.  
"Give her a moment, Vinyl." Zilver said. "It's her daughter."  
Truth be told, she's a little nervous to read it. She's worried about what her daughter would say. Did she find her father? Is Goldie okay? So many things could be written in it. And… there's only one way to find out what. With a heavy and worried heart, Twi opened it up and read it out loud.

"hey, Mom. It's me… Starlight…  
"hehe… I'm not sure what to write here. I left things on such bad terms with you that I was worried I wouldn't write to you again. But… I worked up the courage so… here goes.  
"first off, Goldie. She's alive and unaffected by Nightmare Moon. We found someone who exorcised Nightmare out of Goldie and the Alicorn Amulet and took her out of existence fully. Unless she was able to find a way to hide a part of herself in other objects, Nightmare Moon is gone completely. Goldie is better as well… except her wings are broken beyond repair. Is it possible for Shadow to make a special device for her to help her fly? I know he makes them for adults but, if he can make one for Goldie, it would help ease that part of Marians soul.  
"Oh, and about Marian, she still feels bad about what happened but is slowly getting past it, thanks to her new marefriend Windancer. That's right, Trixie, Luna, eTu`nes, and Derpy, your daughters shacked up. And it wasn't just them. Glade fell in love with the pony who helped him find me, Screw Loose. It was gradual, though, and I don't think they're at 'that point' yet, but they did hook up. And I think I see a romance blossoming between Season's Edge and Filigree. They've been giving each other googliy eyes across the room. They think we don't see it but we see it.  
"now to the more… somber stuff. Mom… thanks for sending me that letter. I really needed that. Knowing that Halo loved me… it helped me out a lot. Halo… Dad… if you're the one reading this, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I never expected for that to happen and I apologize. But it's nice to know who your family is.  
"speaking of family… I found him, mom. I found my real dad. And he's not… who I expected him to be.  
"that Necromancer I went to search for to help me point in his direction? He IS my father. We didn't believe it at first but… his eyes. We have the same eyes. You know that thing that happens every time I get mad; when they go red and green with purple fire out the sides? He does it too. And it's genetic only in his family. There's no question about it. He's my father.  
"his name is Sombra and he's been living out in this castle for Faust knows how many years. His special talent is in the manipulation of shadows and though some bad instances, he had to make himself scarce for fear that Aunt Celestia might kill him. And he only leaves whenever 'the call of nature' kicks in… which lead to the… incident in Feather Top that… lead to my conception. He doesn't know why I'm a Alicorn myself or why I have power over time but… better some answers then no answers, right?  
"I sent a picture of him with this letter. I wish you could see him in person. He has this certain… aura that I can't describe. He's just someone you have to meet to know.  
"he's allowed us to stay for as long as we like but, for reasons I explained, I'm afraid this'll be the last letter we send. He has a barrier that prevents any magical from leaving or entering his residence. I don't blame him. Aunt Celestia can be scary at times. And I just met him. I don't want him to die.  
"and Mom… I miss you. And Halo. I miss you both.

"Love…  
Starlight Sparkle Sombra.

"P.S.. tell Rainbow Dash that we have a surprise for her. I don't want to spoil it but it's something she'll like."

"She did it…" Twilight gasped. She dropped the letter as she looked on in shock. "She found her real father." Halo walked over and comforted her.  
Cadence took the letter away from her distrat and shocked sister-in-law. "Sombra… quite a scary name."  
Very. And Starlight's description of him… that made the Changeling's nervous. "Didn't she say she sent a picture?" Armor said.  
"Oh, right. She did." Halo went to grab it.  
Shadow walked over to Twi and patted her on the back. "I'll do what I can for Goldie but don't expect much. The design just wouldn't work for colts and fillies."  
Twi looked to him with somber eyes and sighed. "Yeah. I know. But try your best, Shadow. Please?"  
"I will."  
Dash chuckled and rubbed her hooves together. "I wonder what surprise they got me." she chuckled. "maybe it's a cool rug, or a new Daring Do book. OH! Maybe that Sombra fella has a book with aerial moves that haven't been seen in years!"  
Halo grabbed the envelope and shook the picture out. He grabbed it and whistled. "guy looks scary. Hard to believe Starlight came from him." he gave the picture to Twilight.  
She took it and gave a good long look at it. Very foreboding looking. And scary. "Well… don't keep us in the dark." Trixie said. "who is he?" Twilight memorized the picture and used her magic to create a 3D projection of the pony in the picture.  
Curious to who he was, Chrysalis grabbed the picture and looked at it. What she saw made her gasp in fear. "no… it can't be him…"  
"Huh?" Marble asked.  
"it's him!"  
"him who!?" Luna added.  
Twilight finished making the image so the Changelings and everyone could see it.

Begin Song: watch?v=wO1FdPXlsWw From Shadow Unto Crystal - King Sombra's Theme by Youtuber Carbon Maestro

The image of a large, black, foreboding Unicorn appeared in front of them. The Changelings know who it was to heart.  
"IT'S HIM!" the Changelings exclaimed.  
"Who!?" the ponies all yelled.  
"He's the one who forced us to invade Equestria both times!" Chrysalis said, looking as angry and as scary as Dark Chrysalis. "he's the one who corrupted out kingdom and nearly wiped us all out!" her horn glowed. "or did you forget?"  
Using her magic, Chrysalis summoned up the history of the Changeling Empire as a large 3D projection. Sure enough, that dark Unicorn was there, corrupting their land and spreading chaos and war.  
"It is him!" the ponies all exclaimed.  
Chrysalis stopped playing it and brought up the image of the pony in her projection and put it next to Twilight's. they are an exact match.  
"the manipulation of shadows…" Celestia muttered. She gasped when she figured it out. "of course!"  
"of course what, my sister?" Luna asked.  
"long before you came back, I was asked by a small village located near the outskirts to rout out a madman. Apparently, he had the ability to use shadows. He had built up a army made out of shadows and nearly destroyed the place. By the time I arrived, I saw who it was." she turned her attention to the projections. "A black Unicorn who's heart was as black as the night, spreading destruction as pleasure. But… at the time, he was no more then 5. When he saw me, he fled into the mountains. It took me weeks but I couldn't find him. I figured he'd gone into hiding."  
"and not long after that, he attacked my kingdom…" Chrysalis muttered. "Sending this whole motion of events into action that lead to the Winter War!"  
Twilight couldn't believe this. The father of her daughter was a madman who could use shadows for evil intent. There must be some mistake. There's just no way.  
Fluttershy gasped out of fear. "our children are with him."  
They are. They forgot that. Knowing she would be stepping out of her bounds, Celestia turned to the Changelings. "Leon. Friction. Starlight's first letter said she was heading north. Go after her and warn her and her friends about Sombra."  
The two of them stood still because this was a pony and not their queen.  
"Do it!" Chrysalis ordered. Fearing her response, the two of them nodded.  
"hold on." Derpy said. She grabbed a pen and paper. "My sister Daring Do is in Baltimare with her husband Silverbolt." she quickly wrote down the situation and gave it to Friction. "they should be investigating the Wyrm Pass located near there. They should be of help; Daring is a decent marital artist and Bolt's a Gryphon." the two Changelings nodded and flew out the door.  
"we should at least try to send them a warning!" Marble said.  
"Didn't you hear? Sombra's residence has a magical barrier around it, preventing any magic going in and coming out." Octavia said.  
The group looked to the two images of the evil unicorn; one showing him as a regal ruler, another as a genocidal madman. As much as they hate to hate it, their children are on their own with him.  
"Starlight…" Twilight said with worry. How can this monster be her father? Why? "please be safe…"


	36. My Choice

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 35

My choice…

That was the best sleep she had in ages.  
Being the daughter of the owner of this castle, and a Alicorn, Starlight got the best room in the house. High emphasis on best.  
Starlight opened her eyes, waking up once again. She sat up and stretched. That was the comfiest bed she ever slept in; even better then the bed back home. She wonders if her friends had the same best night's sleep.  
They did.  
Starlight pulled herself out of bed and opened the window in her room. The bright morning sun and fresh spring air came flowing in. she wasn't expecting spring air to come in the middle of winter. Guess her father's magic is quite powerful.  
Her father…  
Sombra is not what she expected for her father to look like. Or act like. She pictured him to be a regal but perverted pony who wanted a night with a mare but didn't bother to try and ask someone out on a date. She didn't expect him to be frightening and so dark.  
She walked to the bathroom built right next to her bedroom and stopped in front of the mirror. She thought up the angriest thing she could think of; her friends betraying and leaving her. More sad then angry, it did the trick and her eyes changed color. The iris' turned red, the whites turned green, and purple wisps came out the sides of her eyes.  
Just like Sombra…  
That's the definitive proof that he is her father. It's only in his family that that can be passed down. When one gets angry, their eyes turned into that.  
"surprised my friends put up with it." Starlight commented as she splashed her face with cold water, waking her up fully. Her face twitched as the call of nature hit. "Oh, boy!" she used her magic to close the door.

Sombra stood in the bottom basement of the castle, looking at the device he had received from his 'allies' back when they were still here.  
"she's finally here… now it can truly begin… now I just have to bide my time and wait for her friends to leave. Shouldn't take more then a few weeks, a month at best. Doesn't matter, I'm a patient man."  
A shadow, a shadow belonging to a leopard he found dead a few years ago, appeared behind him. "Master, Mistress Starlight and her friends are awake."  
He looked to the shadow and chuckled. "time for the fun to begin." he said sinisterly. He looked to the ground. Shadows belonging to various species, mostly the Changelings he had so much fun with, came flowing in, heading for the device in the center. He chuckled evilly, then disappeared in a flash of dark fire.

Fully refreshed, Starlight walked out of her room and came face to face with a shadow of a leopard. "AH!" she yelped.  
"my apologies, Mistress Starlight. I didn't mean to startle you."  
The Alicorn calmed down and cleared her head. "Un… who are…"  
"oh. Where are my manners? The name is Leopold. My master, Lord Sombra, found my deceased body out in the countryside. He used his magic to take my shadow and made me his…" actually, what did Sombra make him? First time in years he thought about it. "em… guess you could call me his advisor. Or maybe butler."  
"it doesn't matter." Starlight said, now having calmed down. "so, why are you here?"  
"Ah. My master has invited you and your friends to the dining hall for a lovely breakfast. To commemorate your arrival and your return."  
"return?"  
"Ah, sorry. Poor choice of words. He never thought he would see you. Having you here filled him with light. Something I never expected to see in him."  
Starlight's heart warmed up. Maybe his callous exterior will finally melt. "so… which way to the dining hall?"  
Leopold snapped his fingers, or what counts for fingers with a shadow. Starlight's shadow stirred and walked off without her. "just follow your shadow and it'll take you to the hall."  
Star still can't get used to that. "t-thanks." Starlight followed her shadow, leaving Leopold behind. The shadow snickered and melted into the walls. Long as nobody finds out he was a chronic liar, he's good.

When Starlight arrived at the dining hall, she saw that her friends were already there, sitting down and waiting for the food. And their host. "he invited you all too?"  
"Yep." they all replied. Even Glade's soldiers were sitting down. There were more then enough seats for all of them with room to spare for the Elements of Harmony.  
"seems kinda overkill, don'tcha think?" Peppy commented, looking at the massive table.  
"actually…" Leopold said as he suddenly appeared, scaring most of them. "… Sombra magically extended his table not long after you arrived.  
"oh. Still, seems kinda overkill."  
"Sorry my table disagrees with you." Sombra said as he appeared in dark fire. Like with Leopold, most of the group yelled out of surprise. "but I can't please everyone."  
Peppy stammered out of fear. "a, ba, ba, ba. I-I-I-I-I was just making a observation. A comment. A not-to-be-taken seriously comment."  
Sombra ignored her. He used his magic to summon up breakfast. Should be called dinner because that's how big and lavish it is. There's enough food there to feed all of Ponyville for a entire day. And this was just breakfast. They can hardly wait what dinner would look like.  
"this is quite the spread." Glade said. "Thanks, Lord Sombra."  
"It's the least I could do for those who took care of my darling Starlight." he used his magic to summon up candles to better illuminate. "As you can see, there's something for everyone; vegetables, fruit, meat for your carnivores and gems for the dragon's."  
The only dragons, and carnivores in the group, were Chaos, Filigree, and Fire Ruby. And as they were the only ones, they dug in. Ruby was about to bite into a big sapphire when Filigree pulled it out. "hey hey hey. Mom could use this for her dresses."  
Right. Forgot that. "Save the big ones for her." Ruby said, throwing a equally big emerald onto the floor. "The rest, dig in."  
"Conservative eaters?" Sombra asked.  
"un, no. our mom is a designer and she uses gems for her dresses." Filigree explained. "we're saving the big ones for her. Or for Dad, if he gets to it first."  
"he does seem to be a glutton when it comes to gems." Starlight commented.  
"Look who's talking, Ms. Hay Fry freak." Fire Ruby retorted. Starlight squealed and shut her mouth. "I saw you eat 5 whole plates worth."  
Bass couldn't help but laugh. "5 whole plates of Hay Fries? Really? Hahahahahahaha!"  
"More like a platter!" Marian chuckled, trying to keep herself from laughing out loud.  
Starlight exclaimed. "least I'm not the one obsessed with the circus!"  
"that was a phase! And I lasted only a month!"  
"Yet, we had to put up with crappy magic tricks." Starlight cleared her throat and imitated her. " 'pick a card, any card.' you always got it wrong!"  
Marian exclaimed.  
Everyone burst out laughing. This was probably the funniest breakfast they all had. Sombra watched them with cold eyes, wondering if her friends are just playing her or are really her friends. "So… you seem to be great friends with Starlight."  
"And why wouldn't we?" Sym asked. "she's our friend."  
"but she's a Alicorn. Born with a Cutie Mark. Doesn't that make it odd?"  
"should it?" Golden Day asked. "she's our friend. she helped us and we helped her. We can overlook that Alicorn nonsense." everyone agreed with that.  
Again, Sombra had trouble telling if that was the truth or not. "seems you have great friends, Starlight."  
Starlight chuckled with a smile. "the best." she used her magic to pull Goldie over. "As well as the best little sister ever!" she brightly said, giving her a noogie. Goldie struggled to get her to stop while laughing.  
Sombra sensed that Starlight really loved her friends. And they loved her genuinely. This could be a problem. But he can wait. He's a patient man. He waited 20 years for this; what's a few more weeks?

After breakfast, the group went their separate ways to explore the castle. Sombra had it all; a luxury pool, sport courts, beautiful botanical gardens, even a movie theater. In short, his castle is better then Celestia's. WAY better.  
While her friends are busy playing and exploring, Starlight is taking the opportunity to get to know her father better.

"So you were just like me?" Starlight asked as she walked though the halls with Sombra.  
"Yes. Had a lot of good friends. They loved me like your friends love you. But, when I found my talent over shadows, they abandoned me. That's where the similarities end. You still have your friends and I don't have mine."  
Star felt sorry for him. He spent most of his life living alone in this dark, dank palace he found in the arctic. "but times have changed. ever since the Humans arrived, everyone's more open, more willing to the unknown. Surely, Mom and Celestia will accept you."  
Sombra warmly chuckled. "I appreciate it, Starlight, but I don't think it would be wise. I spent so much time alone, I'm having trouble adjusting to your friends."  
"Dad…"  
"it's okay, Starlight. It's just my nature, that's all."  
Starlight couldn't agree with that. Her nature was always changing, always shifting and shuffling. Her father must be a stubborn stallion. Something they don't have in common.  
Sombra grumbled and scratched his head. "I got something to attend to."  
"what is it?"  
"it's nothing. Just a minor nuisance." Sombra turned to go down the other way. "why don't you go play with your friends? I'll be awhile."  
"Okay."  
Starlight took a few steps when she was stopped by Sombra asking a question. "Starlight. Are you happy in Ponyville?"  
That was a unexpected question. "what do you mean?"  
"I mean… are you really happy in Ponyville? Do you enjoy it there?"  
"o-of course I do. My family and friends are from there. I'm from there."  
"that doesn't answer the question. Are you happy?"  
Starlight isn't sure what he wants her to say. "I… I…" she sighed in defeat. "I don't know."  
Sombra summoned up a portal of dark fire behind him. "if Ponyville isn't your cup of tea, maybe it's time for a change of scenery?"  
A change of scenery? Like… move? Here? Before she could ask what he meant, he entered the fire and disappeared.

"WAHOO!" Sym cheered as she cannon-balled into the 100 foot pool. Everyone had relocated themselves into the pool, which they missed. Despite this castle being in the arctic, the inside was surprisingly warm. Very warm. Warm enough to warrant a swim in the pool, which was just the right temperature.  
"Oh, I needed this…" Sweet Song cooed. Chaos floated up next to her, eyes closed, enjoying the soak in the pool. The two bumped into each other, but they didn't react. They just floated on.  
"we all needed this." Woona said. "nothing like a soak in a pool to wash all your stress away."  
Starlight stood at the entrance, watching her friends laughing and playing and just being lazy. "(If Ponyville isn't your cup of tea, maybe it's time for a change of scenery?)" Sombra's words echoed though her mind.  
"(does he mean… move here with him? But my mom is in Ponyville. My friends are in Ponyville. I… I can't just leave them.)"  
Bass laughed with his friends, almost busting a gut. Once he stopped, he looked and saw Starlight walk away from the pool, closing the door behind her.  
"(why didn't she come in?)"

A pair of white doves flew though the air, fighting over a itty-bitty worm. The larger dove got it and flew away with the smaller in hot pursuit.  
Starlight watched them from the balcony from her room, envying their freedom. If only she can choose her route in life. Her background made it virtually impossible for her to go out for her own sake. Running away was the first thing she did that was her own big choice.  
"are you okay?"  
Starlight turned her head to see Bass enter the room. He closed the door behind him and headed to her. "no, I'm not Bass."  
"why? You finally found what you were looking for; your real father."  
"Yeah, but… but Mom's letter from before we entered… got me thinking. And… there was something Dad just told me."  
He walked up next to her. "What?"  
Starlight stayed quiet. She didn't want to talk, but… "back in Ponyville… I was never allowed to do anything… overly magical."  
"Overly magical?"  
She tapped her Cutie Mark. "time based. I was forced to do it in secret. Plus… I was never able to make any major decisions in my life. Going to the Canterlot Royal Academy, that was Mom's choice for me. Becoming well-versed with spells not associated with time, that was Aunt Celestia and Luna. I was never able to make my own huge choice." she looked to him. "Until I ran. That was the first major choice I made on my own. And now, I'm forced into another."  
"huh?"  
Starlight looked up to the sky, back to the doves. "my dad… he wants me to move here."  
"move?"  
"yeah. He asked if I was truly happy in Ponyville."  
"and were you?"  
Starlight paused, not wanting to answer. "… no. I wasn't. I honestly wasn't. the one place where I was truly happy…" she turned to him with light in her eyes. "was with you."  
"me?" Bass asked in surprise.  
"yeah. You… you helped me become something other then a yes-girl." she held a hoof up to her heart. "and now… there's another major decision I… I want to make."  
She walked into the bedroom, leaving Bass confused. "what?" Starlight used her magic to summon a barrier that covered the door and walls. Now he got really confused. "what are you doing?" he asked as he walked in. when he did, she closed the curtains and put a barrier over that, leaving only a little light seeping in though the cracks. "Starlight?"  
Without warning, without any indication, Starlight kissed him full on the lips. Surprised, Bass pushed her off. "S-Starlight. What are you doing?"  
"Bass… I… I want this. I want you. I am truly happy with you." she slowly walked over to him. Bass gulped. He never had a girl do this before. She slowly put her fore-legs around him. "Please, Bass… I love you and you truly make me happy… please… for me…"  
Though initially fearful at first, Bass succumbed and wrapped his fore-legs around her. "Starlight… I love you too… and I want you to be happy. So…"  
Starlight looked up to him with happy, light filled eyes. "thank you so much, Bass." she leaned in and kissed him. This time, he didn't fight back. He kissed back.  
The new couple fell back onto the bed. Starlight used her magic to fully close the curtains, enclosing them in darkness.  
Hopefully, the sound-proof barriers she cast work.


	37. Happy Belated Hearth's Warming Eve

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 36

Happy Belated Hearth's Warming Eve

… If you read the last chapter, you obviously know what Bass and Starlight are doing right now so… um… let's skip ahead 3 hours.  
*presses fast forward button*

Bass and Starlight looked out into space, caught by surprise on how good it was. "That… was… amazing…" Starlight gasped, having had the time of her life.  
"Yeah…" Bass said.  
"so that's what *beep* feels like…" what? You didn't expect me to say the word, did you? This is a E-Rated fic. Blood and swear words are pushing it. this would send it into M. heck, just talking about it is sure to put it into T.  
"Caught me off guard."  
"Ditto. … did you know that would happen?"  
"No, no. that surprised me." Bass tapped his hooves on the messed up blanket that barely covered him and Starlight. most of the bed sheets were spread on the floor, some torn in half. Geez, what did these 2 do? "so… what do we tell the others?"  
"nothing, for now. I'm not sure how'd they take to us… shagging up."  
"yeah. So, does this mean we're now officially colt and marefriend?"  
Starlight looked to her lover and smiled. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "yep." she snuggled up next to him and held him close. "thanks… for coming into my life…"  
Bass lightly smiled and held her as well. "thanks for coming into mine…" he gingerly kissed her on the forehead.  
The two then fell asleep in each other's embrace.

"Oh, man…" Daring moaned. She and her hubby Silverbolt, a Gryphon prince and brother to Gilda, came to Baltimare to investigate the stories of the Wyrm Pass, only to find it completely destroyed. "How this happen?"  
Bolt bent down and picked up a rock. "must've been a big earthquake."  
"Still…" Daring kicked a rock. It bounced off a tree and bonked her in the head. She went 'ow' and rubbed where it hit. "I wished I could've investigated it."  
The two turned to head back to Baltimare when a pair of Changelings came from around a corner, flying like their lives depended on it. They saw each other but barely had time to move. Both groups collided and fell down to the slushy ground.  
"ow…" they all moaned. One of the Changelings got up and rubbed her head. "that's gonna smart."  
"tell me about it." Bolt moaned, rubbing his wing. "think it's sprained."  
The other Changeling rubbed it's leg when he opened his eyes. He recognized the mare from somewhere. "Wait. Are you Daring Do?"  
"Yeah. And you must be a fan of my books."  
"never read them."  
never read them? "Then how do you know who I am? And just who are you two?"  
"oh, right. My name is Leon. This is my comrade Friction."  
"hi, now why are you here?" Bolt asked.  
"Straight to business. I like that." Friction said.  
Leon used his magic to pull out the letter from Derpy. He then handed it to Daring. "Read this as we fly. We don't have a lot of time." he and Friction spread their wings and took off.  
Daring and Bolt looked at each other with curious expressions. Just what the hell were they talking about? Wondering that, the two took to the air and flew after them. In mid-flight, Daring opened the letter sent by her sister and shared it with Bolt.

"WHAT!?"

It seemed like hours that they were asleep, but Starlight and Bass didn't care. They had each other… and that's all they wanted. They wished to be with the other forever, not to move at all. Just to be in each other's embrace.  
Bass caressed his hooves though Starlight's fire-like hair when…  
Leopold suddenly appeared out from a wall. "Mistress Starlight…" both Star and Bass heard him, yelled, and fell out of bed.  
"Ow!" they both said.  
The way they were sleeping, and their reactions… these two must've have relations. "un… am I… interrupting something?"  
"yes!" they both exclaimed.  
"My apologies. That wasn't my intent."  
Starlight grunted as she got up. She felt weak from the fun they had last night, making her knees buckle. She quickly regained her posture and cleared her throat. "so… what's worth the interruption, Leopold?"  
"Lady Eris, the Draconequus, is throwing a party for you all in the audience hall. She's keeping what a surprise."  
Bass went 'OH.' "a surprise party. Wonder what it is?"  
"now I'm curious." she used her magic to send the barriers away and open the curtains. "you're… gonna keep what you saw a secret, right?" Star asked Leopold.  
"my lips are sealed…" Star and Bass breathed a sigh of relief. Glad they weren't gonna be revealed, the new couple walked out of her bedroom. "…least to your friends." he finished before disappearing.

Sombra looked over his machine for the zillionth time, making sure that everything is the way it is. He sensed his little associate come into the same room. "Leopold. Tell me the good news. Did she decide to stay here?" Leopold opened his mouth to speak but didn't. he's not sure how he would take this. "Leopold?"  
"Un… there… may be a slight hitch…"  
Sombra turned to him, ready to turn him into shadow soufflé. "hitch?"  
Leopold gulped and snapped his fingers, bringing up video from Starlight's room. "this hitch." he nervously said.  
Sombra watched the video of Starlight and Bass, as Leopold said, hitch up. Sombra's anger boiled. He let loose a powerful spell that hit the side wall and exploded. To those up above, it felt like a small earthquake.  
"This is not what is supposed to happen!" he angrily exclaimed. "she wasn't supposed to fall in love!"  
Leopold, nervous that his master would kill him, had to say it. "y-you can't stop nature. It's only natural she would fall for someone. Were you able to stop any of your other children from falling in love?"  
No… he didn't. and he also failed at preventing them at having kids of their own. "this is gonna make the plan a lot more complicated."

To keep their relation a secret, Starlight walked into the audience hall where her friends are first, forgetting that her hair is a jumbled mess. 3 minutes later, Bass walked in. hopefully, their friends won't ask where they were for so long. They didn't have time to make a story.  
Being a artificially made Pony, he had a heighten sense of smell and Chaos Gun smelled something funny. Really funny. "what's that smell?" he asked. "it smells like sweat and fear."  
Starlight and Bass twitched then looked at each other with gulping fear. "really?" Season asked. "I don't smell anything, and I have the best nose in the group." seems only Chaos can smell it and nobody's believing him so that's a good thing.  
"Okay Eris. What did you call us in here for?" Golden Day asked.  
The Draconequus snickered. "This." she snapped her fingers.  
Red and green lights appeared along the walls, stretching all throughout the hall. Wreaths and ribbons hung down from the ceiling, dangling 10 feet above the floor. A great, big ol' Pine appeared tucked away in a corner near the throne with a ton of colorful wrapped boxes underneath it. Lights and ornaments wrapped around the tree. A single heart-shaped star appeared on top.  
Everyone in the group happily and mesmerizing gasped 'whoa' at the decorations sudden appearances.  
"wow…" Starlight gasped.  
"you did all this, Eris?" the Alicorn Erys asked.  
"Well…" the Draconequus put her hands behind her head. "I had some help from Peppy." Peppy hopped up next to her.  
"Peppy?"  
"did you forget, Star? My special talent is making things nice for Hearth's Warming Eve. Heck, one could argue it is Hearth's Warming Eve." Peppy explained. "I had this little setup in my head when we arrived. Just needed Eris to get up to snuff to bring it up."  
"Speaking of which…" Eris said. She snapped her fingers, bring up a stool with the jolly red giant on it, though he's been ponified. "every Hearth's Warming Eve needs gifts, right? Just speak into ol' St. Nick's ear here and *boop* your gift will appear."  
"really?" Sym asked. "well, one way to see if it works." he hopped on up to the plastic pony and stopped near him. "un… how exactly do I talk? Which ear, what tone…"  
"Just talk!" they all yelled. Sym jumped at the yell and stuck his tongue out at them. "ehm… can't I just write it down and stick it in his mouth?"  
That's not a bad idea. Much less embarrassing then whispering into a plastic nobodies ear. She snapped her fingers and the necessary changes were made.  
A pen and paper appeared in front of Sym. He grabbed the pen and thought about a nice gift. He got it and wrote it down. Once that was done, he put it into the plastic mouth. For awhile, nothing happened. The plastic pony didn't do anything and there were no flashing lights or anything.  
"Thing it's busted, Eris." Sym said.  
"Give it a moment."  
So they did and… still nothing. Yeah, the thing is a-  
A sudden flash of white appeared around Golden Day, surprising them all. It only lasted a second and when it disappeared, G.D. had a BEAUTIFUL jeweled dress draped over her with a pair of sapphire earrings hanging from her ears.  
G.D. looked herself over, completely mesmerized by her new dress. "Whoa… wha… how did you…"  
"remembered when we were passing by Rarity's shop and you saw that dress she made?" Sym asked. "well, I thought about it and figured, 'hey. She deserves something nice.' so…"  
Golden Day cut him off with a sudden kiss on the lips. "WHOA!" everyone yelled in surprise. That was unexpected.  
Pretty soon, everyone clamored up, hoping to get the same result. Starlight and Bass, however, stayed behind. "You don't want a gift, Star?"  
Starlight smiled and rested her head on his shoulders. "you already gave the best Hearth's Warming Gift of all; you came in my life."  
Bass, knowing no one was looking in their direction, kissed her. "ditto…" the two watched their friends clamored to get the next gift. "although… I think Sombra would like one."  
Starlight hadn't considered that. "oh, right. It might cheer him up; get him out of his rut." she went over, thinking of a good gift for him. Bass sat down and got comfy. This was gonna be awhile.  
"Hey! I'm first! I'm the youngest!" Fire Ruby exclaimed. She climbed up onto the plastic pony, only the slip and fall. towards Eris. The dragon/pony hybrid yelled as she fell right on top of the Draconequus. They fell down the stairs and landed on the awning below.  
The two of them opened their eyes in pain to see that the two of them were in a... awkward position. "…Aaaand just like that, I'm gay." Ruby said.

Sombra walked though the corridor leading to the audience hall. He is busy trying to think of a new plan, now that Starlight and Bass are in a relationship. "with her in love, it's gonna be harder for her to stay."  
As he neared the hall, he heard laughter. That's a sound he hasn't heard in a long time. He upped his speed to see what's causing all the hub-bub. He entered though a side-door and saw Starlight and her friends laughing, exchanging gifts, and having good times. It's been a long time since he heard laughter and saw smiles. It was… odd to hear and see it again.  
Starlight saw her father and got up, gulping down her drink as she did. "Oh, Dad. There you are."  
"Starlight… what is all this?"  
"what, this? You never had Hearth's Warming Eve before?"  
"Hearth's Warming… Eve?"  
Starlight moaned and rubbed her head. "oh, brother. We got a lot of work to do to get you reacquainted back into society. Hearth's Warming Eve is a celebration we have celebrating the founding of Equestria and the unification of the Pegasi, Unicorn, and Earth Ponies."  
"Very Popular!" Peppy called out with Soarin' nuzzling next to her.  
"Hehe. And as you can see, it means romance. But that would be best reserved for Hearts and Hooves day." she said out loud.  
"We missed that as well!" Sweet Song yelled, getting cozy with her chaos-filled boy toy by wrapping a scarf around the both of them. "This is a double holiday!"  
"right. That reminds me." Starlight ran over to the tree to grab something. Sombra looked around the hall, seeing it dressed up for the holidays. He wants to vomit so much. "here." Starlight said, returning with a small present.  
"What is it?"  
"A present. From all of us. For letting us stay."  
A thank you gift? On a present holiday? Curious, he used his magic to grab it. He ripped it open. The present was a group shot of them all in the hall, with the words 'thanks, dad' written on the bottom. He didn't show it on the outside, but inside… he actually felt happy. For the first time in decades, he was happy.  
"Starlight… I… I don't know what to say."  
"it's nothing. This is Hearth's Warming Eve, after all."  
"but… I never got a gift before. From anyone."  
"well, let us be the first." Starlight said with a wide smile.  
Sombra looked at the picture again and almost smiled, but didn't. "thanks, Starlight. I appreciate it." he used his magic to set the photo on the throne. "Now, if you mind, I have something to give to you. Or rather, show you."  
"Show me? Show me what?"


	38. Series of War, Destruction, and Love

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 37

Series of War, Destruction, and Love

Sombra lead his daughter and her friends down a corridor, heading to a part of the palace they don't know.  
"where exactly are you leading us?" Glade asked. Screw Loose walked next to him, wearing a fancy dress fit for royalty. A gift from him to her for Hearths Warming Eve.  
"that's a secret." Sombra sinisterly said. That didn't fill them with confidence. Ahead, Leopold appeared. He grabbed the handle of the door at the end and opened it. Sombra was the first to enter. A nervous Starlight followed, then the rest of her friends.

The room they entered was very small, at least that's what it looks like with complete darkness enclosing it. Sombra used his magic to light candles and turn on lights, illuminating the entire room.  
It was a domed structure located on top of the castle, with constellations, star maps, planet locations, time tables for the moon, and drawings of bottomless pits aligned on the walls. Telescopes looked out of every curtained window, each looked up at different spots of the sky. It was big enough to hold them all.  
The crème-de-la-crème was a image of the Orion, the ship belonging to the humans, nestled in the center.  
"Whoa!" the group all exclaimed.  
"What is this?" Bass asked.  
Sombra walked to a window, explaining it all. "when you live in exclusion like I do, you tend to learn a few things. And the night sky is beautiful up here. With no city lights to obscure it, you can clearly see it. And I had a knack for astrology so it was a win-win."  
"You did all this?" Starlight gasped.  
"Yep. I discovered a number of worlds those so-called astrologists in Canterlot missed. As well as distant black holes, galaxies… And, by accident, I discovered a space battle. Really intense. Couldn't tear my gaze away from it."  
"A space battle? What kind?" Peppy asked.  
"yes. Between a unknown group and…" he turned his attention to the Orion picture.  
"the humans?" Marian asked.  
"yep. And their ship, in your teen terms, got f*&ked up. They survived but they got their butt kicked."  
"Wow." and here they thought nothing could beat the humans. Guess they're as fallible as regular ponies.  
"And… that's not the biggest upset I had from space." Sombra walked to the other side as the others went 'huh?' "18 years ago, around the fall of Oscurita, I was visited by other-worlders, very scary people who I think you all heard of." he used his magic to summon up images of a man with a very odd haircut and a knight clad entirely in black armor. "Orochi… and Tsylatac…"  
Orochi and Tsylatac. They heard the names from the stories. It was said they were behind the entire fiasco with Oscurita and aided Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, and Discord back then as well. If the humans hadn't turned Oscurita back into eTu`nes, the world would've been destroyed, or at least significantly different then it is today.  
"What did they want?" Starlight asked, worried for her dad.  
"they wanted me to join them. I refused, but…" he magically lifted a part of his armor, showing a deep gash he got from a Windego, but they don't need to know that. "they were persistent."  
"Oh, my."  
Sombra put the armor back on and returned to why he brought her here. "Starlight… you can use time, right?"  
"yes. But not well."  
"but well enough to destroy the Oscurita clone." using his magic, he pulled up the video of the event. He edited it not to show the 10 minutes of suffering she put the dragon though but it showed it disintegrating into the snowflake shaped crystals. "you aged him forward a billion years, aging him to the point the thing turned into crystal. That shows you've come a long way. And let's not forget that you set the large Timberwolf back in time."  
She did do those, but… "but that was all luck. I didn't do any of that."  
"but you did… with a little help."  
"Help?"  
Sombra used his magic to summon up some charts and graphs. "I've noticed that every decade, a rift in time opens up near our system. That allows anyone with the ability of manipulating time to do tricks they were never able to do before. And sure enough, a rift is open right now and has been days before you set out on your journey to find me."  
A rift in time…? She never heard of it before. It's possible that her mother and Aunt Celestia never heard about it. Uncle Cosmos may have but it's doubtful. Still… a point in time where she can be as powerful as her aunts. "Why are you telling me this?"  
"I want to see if such a thing is possible. You can send things though time but can you look at events in time? I wish to see this worlds' past and future and what roles we will play in it's history."  
"Us?"  
"All of us; you, me, your friends and family… I wish to see if we leave our moments in history."  
Starlight wondered that as well. Will she leave her own mark? Will her friends? Only one way to find out. "So… what do I do?"  
"just do what you ordinarily do when you use time magic."  
Starlight nodded. She walked to the center and took a cleansing breath. She never did something this big before. But if she's able to age a monstrous Dragon a billion years and sent a Timberwolf back in time, what's the worst that can happen?  
Her eyes turned green, red, and purple. Her Cutie Mark glowed and the clock-face glyph appeared beneath her. She floated up off the ground, wings and fore-legs spread as she concentrated on seeing the past and the future. Once that was done, she cast the spell.  
It worked, but not in the way they wanted… or what they expected to see.

Begin Song: watch?v=Q2yh2KgLgSg In Your Belief (Vocal Version) - Asura's Wrath Main Theme

Light shimmered off of a pond full of water. Pillars of white marble rose up from the 2-inch water and up into the blue partly cloudy sky.  
A distant boom caused the water to ripple. The pillars cracked and fell, causing multitudes of splashes. The sky turned blood red as the clouds darkened.

The Requiem Trinity:

The silver-blue haired tomboy-maiden Requiem charged at her brother, the god of destruction Catalyst, sword in hand and ready to end him.  
{Requiem (unbelieving): a… a goddess? Me? t-there's no way I'm a goddess. There's just no way. I'm just a simple barmaid from a nowhere town.}  
Catalyst smugly summoned his sword and swung his at the same time she did.

A monstrous Leviathan rose out of the water and slammed into the Orion, splitting it in two.  
{Gabriëlle: Believe it or no, it doesn't change it. You are Serenity, Goddess and brother to the most evil threat we've ever faced. And if you don't stop him, there's no telling what horrible things he'll do."}  
The dark knight Tsylatac summoned his pole-ax and dug it into the ground. A blood-red triangle glyph appeared beneath him.

The red-headed 15-year old of doom Kyra jumped from atop a pillar and down to Ash.  
{Kyra: Destruction is all this universe knows and it's all it will know. I seek to change that.}  
The cowboy clad Ash dove beneath a pillar and fired up at Kyra.  
{Ash: By destroying the universe yourself?}  
Kyra pulled out a whip and cracked it in Ash's direction. It hit him in the face, leaving a noticeable scar.  
{Kyra: … mmm… maybe.}

Bahamut yelled as he was sent flying into a pillar by a mechanical Gryphon, openings dripping with darkness.

A massive 8-headed golden dragon, with each head corresponding with a element in nature, powered up a joint attack and fired. The blast tore though the Orion, gutting it stem to stern.  
{Catalyst: Face it, there are forces much more powerful then us at work here. We're just pawns in whatever game they have planned}  
The majestic airship crashed into the earth and skidded towards Teria, the hometown of Requiem and Aura.

Requiem glowed blue and Catalyst red as they swing their swords at each other. The blades connected, causing a bright flash of light.

War for the Universe X:

The silver-white haired hero of this tale yelled as he was sent backfirst into a electrical wall. He hit it but didn't get electrocuted.  
{Kaiju: how pitiful. And this is what counts for a hero these days?}  
The clad in black villain of this tale, Kaiju strode over to the beaten hero, Molin's blade in his hand.  
{Molin: I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, you sadistic son of a bitch!}"

The transformable mech Ra streaked though the air with missiles in pursuit. It transformed into a fighter and gained speed but the missiles kept right on. They struck the mech and exploded.  
{Donna: this is a losing war and you know it. You can't win. Nobody can. Nothing can stop Kaiju and his ilk. Face it. You're finished.}

A surge of electricity struck Cadence Aurora, the green-hair 16 year old heroine, in the chest. It sent her rolling along the floor and almost over the side. Molin dove in the nick of time and grabbed her hand just as she was about to go.

Anger enveloped the hero. Kaiju looked at him with smug and pride, tossing the person he had just killed away like a piece of garbage.  
{Molin: YOU BASTARD! I'LL MAKE YOU PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!}  
In his anger, Molin transformed into Xeno Darkcross, a massive armored creature capable of decimating a fleet. Darkcross' mouth opened and he fired a beam into the middle of a populated city, destroying half of it in one shot.

A large ship crashed in the middle of a desert, sending the armor clad Garland and the normal every-day girl Bretny flying into a sand drift.  
{Cadence Aurora: you may not have something to fight for but we do. We have friends, family… people we love that we want to protect. And you can't ask for anything better then that.}  
The ship tipped over and fell to them. Garland scrambled to his feet and threw himself on Bretny to protect her from the ship.

The E-Shaped tricked out ship, the Nova, flew though space, heading straight for a super-mongo-massive serpent-like monster, holding a oval shaped sphere in it's hands.  
{Brom: Ultrillas. The mighty overseer of the universe. Legends say she holds it in her hands, keeping constant vigil on it. And it's said that she was created by Auralite and Molin…}

Kaiju laughed like a evil mad-man as he transformed into a massive anthropomorphic scorpion.  
{Brom (continued): you have to stop him. If him or the Mass FiM Corporation get to her first, this war is over. No, everything is over.}  
Xeno Darkcross and monster Kaiju butted heads, each trying to overpower the other.

Last Symphonia:

Darkness shot out of the suffering Skeith, the 17 year old black dragos. It enveloped him and spread to cover the city.

A massive air-battle took place above Haven City, the capital of the world. The capital ship of the rebels blew up and the pieces rained down on the city.  
{Gras: Rebels. Bah! More like excuses of flesh who just want to make a conflict. Nothing more. Nothing less.}

A massive bat-like monster coated in shadows shrieked over the Gias Towers, a pair of towers that symbolizes their worlds technological advancements.  
{Cynder: I hate this… this stupid war. Why can't things go back to the way they were?}  
The monster shrieked, spread it's wings, and flew to the ground below. The force from his wings caused every glass on the tower to break. It pulled up, the gust from that uprooting houses.

Beams of pure energy surged between Haven and it's twin moons. The beams joined together in the middle then shot into the nebula that surrounded the planet.  
{Skeith: Damn your war! Damn your logic! And damn you! You had to go and make things pure hell for all of us! Just die!}  
Skeith's blade came down and clanged against the claws of a black-and-gold armored beast codenamed HACK. HACK pushed Skeith away then disintegrated into darkness. The darkness pulled Skeith in and swallowed him up fully and completely.

A pair of beautiful emerald eyes opened within the nebula.  
A bright white light shown down on the planet, which was covered in darkness. The darkness turned into a wolf and the light turned into a eagle. Both roared at each other as Haven soon became their battleground.

Glade:

The red-haired 20 year old Glade dug her blades into the ground to prevent herself from being blown over the edge of a cliff by a freak wind-storm. She saw and grabbed Cyan before she went over, though barely.

Mermen- shark like monsters with human appendages -shot out of the water and boarded the ferry. One was welcomed with the business end of a sword belonging to Drake, a anthropomorphic dragon.  
{Erys: you think you are the only one with problems? You think you're the only one who didn't give up something important? I gave up my life! What does that tell you!?}  
Another merman was stabbed from the back and though the chest by Karen, a pony wearing a suit of armor with arms attached to it.

Glade crossed blades with Ayumi, a dark-haired and dark-clothed servant of a dark lord. Doesn't help that they also love each other.  
{Sombra: Love? Pfft. Who needs it? Love is weak, love wounds you, love is a handicap. Any idiot who falls in love deserves to perish.}

A super volcano burst it's top, sending ash into the sky. A towering monstrosity rose up from the lava, rising as high as 1000 feet. The monster opened it's eyes and roared. The roar caused cracks to appear in the ground.  
The cracks spread and soon covered the entire planet.

{Glade: you think you have the right to choose how the world dies…}  
Drake and Karan took up battle poses.  
{Glade: what gives you the right to end our lives; to end our fates?…}  
Erys, a hyper-active cat-girl with a whip, and Cloud, a humanoid eagle with a ton of knifes, took up battle poses as well.  
{Glade: we decide our fate! And right now, our fates are screaming to rescue Cyan…}  
Glade spun her blades around and took up her battle pose.  
{Glade: now let her go or die!}

Chaos Theory:

Jade, a brown haired 15-year old roller skater, kicked a rock. It hit a pole and knocked back into his head. Out of nowhere, a raptor-like creature slammed into him, sending them both falling onto the ground.

Luna, the raptor who ran into Jade, glowed blue as sparkles came out of the ground beneath her. One bright flash later, she changed into a giant T-Rex like monster. The monster fired a beam of blue light, which struck a wyvern-type monster.

{Rose: travel the world? See new sights and sounds and meet new people? Who wouldn't like that? Sign me up!}

Jade high-fived with Luis and Luna fist-bumped with Luis' Mazoku Fenris.

Zach sputtered like a horse, telling them to stop. He was suddenly pulled by his Mazoku Sharon, much to his dismay.

{Ted: this isn't no kiddy tournament, twerp. Go home before you get hurt. Or before I hurt you.}  
Ted's Mazoku, a komodo dragon, transformed into a Wyvern and slammed into Luna.

A double-helix beam of light ascended into the purple cloud sky, parting it to let light though.  
{Yuri: the Chaos Theory is only good for one thing; money. All the money it rakes it thanks to merchandise is astounding. And I want it and I'll do whatever I can to get it.}

3:35.  
Chaotic Terminus:

Requiem's blade clashed against Molin's. sparks flied between their swords, each trying to overpower the other.  
Glade swung her blades wildly at Skeith, who dodged every one. A orb of yellow light appeared in the dragos' right hand. He spun around and fired it at the mercenary.  
It missed by hit Jade's wooden blade. It splinted and that show of force made Luna transform and attack them.

A massive tower, who's height is unfathomable, stretched up into the sky. Below it was the Infinity symbol, which glowed a bright orange.

On top of the tower, a fierce battle raged.  
Molin transformed into Xeno Darkcross and attacked a being made entirely out of darkness. The being blocked Darkcross' punch and with a flick of his fingers, sent him crashing into the side of the tower.  
Glade jumped up at the being and slashed at him. Her blades were blocked by a single finger. A invisible shockwave sent her crashing down to the floor.  
Luna lunged at him, mouth wide open and claws ready to go. The being punched down on her snout and kicked her into Glade. Jade jumped up from behind and swung his wooden blade. The being disappeared and reappeared behind him. He flicked Jade like a bug, sending him spinning into a smoldering Orion.  
Skeith stabbed the being though the chest but, seeing as he's a being of pure darkness, it didn't do much. The being grabbed Skeith and gave him a uppercut that would make a profession boxer go 'OOH!'  
Requiem summoned her angel wings and flew towards the being. The being summoned up a sword and swung it around.  
A golden aura engulfed Requiem as she and the being clashed blades.

The tower and the symbol glowed bright, causing the screen to go completely white.

4:38.

Oh, Warriors from Distant Stars, I call to you.  
come to this visage of eternal time  
And save the ashes of life  
Oh, Warriors from Distant Stars, I summon you  
Save these realms from the grip of Ultimate Eternal Chaos.

The Requiem Trinity

War for the Universe X

Last Symphonia

Glade

Chaos Theory

Chaotic Terminus

End Song.

Without any warning, the spell back-fired.  
The images faded away. A invisible blow sent Starlight back into the wall. She hit and slid down into a pile of books.  
"Starlight!" Bass ran over to her. Her friends are nervous to go, fearing something bad, time wise, would happen to them. Sombra just stared at her. He sure wasn't expecting all those other images to pop up. Who were those people?  
"Starlight! You okay?!"  
Starlight stirred with a light moan. She opened her eyes and lovingly looked at her secret boy toy.  
"What happened? What was all that? Are you okay?" these questions came from her friends and they didn't shut up.  
"I'm fine… I think." she got up with Bass helping her. "I… I have no clue where those images came from. I went to see the planets future and past but… but I never expected all of that. It was all… all out of nowhere."  
"well, I recognize Requiem and her friends." Pound said, thinking back to his baby days and trying hard to remember the humans. "but… I don't recognize the rest of them. Just what the heck was that dragon?"  
This was gonna lead to a night of debate, no question about that, but the one thing Starlight recognized from that was the poem. It was told to her before, back in Baltimare, by a unseen woman. So who said it?


	39. A Rough Night

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 38

A Rough Night

Ever since that odd episode last night, Starlight kept quiet all night. She was trying to figure out what had happened; what could've caused all that. Except for Requiem and her friends, they didn't recognize any of them, these… odd people; Molin, Glade, Skeith, and Jade. Who were they? This was a odd day.

Starlight looked up at the ceiling of her room, wondering what could've happened to do that. "Molin… Skeith… Glade… Jade… who are they?" she muttered.  
Bass's snoring interrupted her train of thought. She looked to her left to see her coltfriend sleeping soundly, a little bit of drool dripping out. She lightly chuckled and brushed hair out of his face. He's so cute when he's sleeping.  
Seems like just yesterday that they were friends. Now, they're coltfriend and marefriend. It was the best choice she ever made. Ever. But tomorrow, when they leave, she's gonna be faced with another…  
She yawned loudly Thinking about that incident with the 'visions' and her choice won't do anything so she went to sleep. She needed it. That episode left her tired and she had butterflies in her stomach all day.  
Must've been a side-effect she didn't get until now. After all, this was the first time it happened.

Chaos Gun grunted in pain as he held his head. Every since he arrived at this castle, he had had these horrible headaches. And Sweet Song can't do anything to remedy it.  
"here. Try this herbal tea." she suggested, placing a tea cup on the nightstand in their room. Chaos inadvertadly used his magic to send it flying across the room, causing it to shatter.  
"s-sorry. This damn headache…"  
Sweet Song got up on bed beside him and moved his hair out of his face, wondering if this headache was the result of a fever brought on by a bug-bite. There were no bites.  
"mmm… is there anything I can do, Chaos?"  
Despite the pain, the dark Alicorn looked at up her and smiled. "just being here is enough, Sweet."  
"Aw." even with his amnesia, he's such a charmer. She looked away then chuckled. "I wonder how Mom and Mommy will react with my boyfriend being someone who tried to kill us."  
Chaos still had trouble believing that. Maybe it's the amnesia but he doesn't believe he could cause a lot of pain. Least he thinks so; his friends expressions toward him seem to lean towards the more violent part. "Sorry about that, by the way. Even if I can't remember."  
"it's okay." Sweet Song said with a smile. "Maybe a good night's sleep can help you with that headache."  
"yeah. Maybe. Just need to get some aspirin." he got up and headed out the door. Sombra has to have some pain pills, right?

From his throne room, Sombra watched as Starlight got comfy with Bass and fell asleep. Love… it's such a stupid feeling. He sent the screen away and sighed. This plan just got a lot more complicated. A LOT more.  
Resting his head on a hoof, he looked at the rest of the screens, each playing events happening all over the world.  
Without even thinking, he dismissed all of them and brought up a image he had never done in years; a image of a yellow Pegasus with a egg white mane tending a garden. That odd pony with the armor from Starlight's…. well, he called it a vision, the pony from Starlight's vision reminded him of her.  
He used his magic to summon up a picture. It hovered in front of him, reminding him of what he lost. It showed himself as a colt, hanging out with that same Pegasus filly. If things had been different, maybe…  
Leopold suddenly appeared. "Master, th- are you okay?"  
Sombra angrily looked up at him. "It's nothing." he coldly said, sending the picture away. He pressed a button and sent the screen away. "what do you want, Leopold?"  
He was looking at 'Her' again, wasn't he? Leopold didn't address the issue. "the machine is fully powered up and the shadows have arrived. We just need you-know-what taken care of."  
"And it will be done." he got up from his throne. "soon." he walked off, leaving the living shadow. Leopold disappeared not long after.  
From a dark corner, Chaos Gun saw what had transpired. Something was off here, he's sure of it.

Chaos reentered his and Sweet Song's room and closed the door, distracting the mare from her reading. "you find any aspirin?"  
"no… I saw something odd…"  
"Odd?" she put the book she was reading down. "odd how?"  
"I saw Sombra, in the throne room, looking at a picture of a odd Pegasus. It was like he knew her."  
"Probably a old friend from his childhood, before he found his talent over shadows."  
"Maybe… but I don't… AGH!" another headache hit him, this one more fierce then the last. "ugh! Damn headache!"  
Sweet Song sighed, feeling bad for not being of any help. She then got an idea. She got up, walked over to him, and kissed him on the forehead. "that help?"  
A kiss on the forehead? How could that he- OH! Oh, that's her game. "un… a little. May need a extra dose."  
Sweet Song warmly chuckled and got him up. "I think I have a vaccine for this headache." she pulled him to the bed. "let's see if it works."  
Chaos didn't fight.

They couldn't sleep. They were too excited and wound-up. So what do 3 children do? Go exploring.  
Fire Ruby, Goldie, and the Draconequus Eris walked though the corridors of the castle, to see if there are any secrets for them to find.  
"Wonder what Sombra has hidden." Goldie muttered. "almost every ruler of a castle has secrets."  
"one has to wonder what someone like him has hiding in these walls." Eris said. "I mean, he's scary looking so he must have a few skeletons in his closet."  
"Skeletons!?" Ruby and Goldie explained. Nobody mentioned anything about skeletons.  
"It's a figure of speech. Means he probably has a dark secret."  
Ruby scoffed at the idea. "doubt it." she inadvertadly stepped on a stuck-out cobblestone. "I don't think he-"  
A part of the wall next to them shone from behind. A large black line raced up from the bottom to the top of where a full-grown Alicorn would be then parted open.  
The 3 kids poked their heads in. "Then again…" Ruby said.

Glade muttered to himself, looking at a map of the arctic given to him by Sombra. He was mapping the route they came and the route they're gonna use to get home. With the Wyrm Pass the crumbled mess it is, they're gonna have to find another route.  
A knock came from his door, temporarily interrupting him. "it's open."  
The door opened and Screw Loose came in. "Got a minute?"  
"yeah. Just going over the return route." Screw closed the door and went to his bed. "with the Wyrm Pass destroyed, we're gonna have to find another route. And this map isn't exactly helping."  
"Well, we could just fly over. We have more then enough fliers in our group." Glade stood still for a moment, not even blinking. She saw this before, back in the leopard village. "didn't think of that?"  
"Nope."  
"Well…" she hopped up onto the bed. "even a captain can have a bad day."  
"True enough." Glade lightly chuckled. "I remember one time, I made the choice to go though a swamp rather then a clear forest grove because the swamp was a shorter route. Ended up getting me and my entire squad covered in mud. Faust, that was hard to explain to Dad."  
Screw chuckled. "I can imagine." she tapped her hooves on her legs nervously. "speaking about your dad… how do you think he'll react when he finds out that you are going out with me, a former psychiatric patient?"  
Glade hadn't considered that. "mmm… he'll take it well. It's Mom you should be worried about."  
"Princess Cadence?"  
"Hehehe. Yeah. She doesn't take to kindly of me dating. At least, she never like the mares I went out with. She always found some way to scare them off."  
"PFFT! She can't be that bad."  
She shouldn't have said that. "you ever see that episode of Equestrian Dad where the mom was jealous of her son going out with the goth girl?"  
Screw squeaked in fear. She saw it and she remembered it. She hated that show. It went away when she shook her head. "Uh… right."  
Glade put down the map, rolled back into his bed, and pinched his eyes. "this is giving me such a headache."  
A sudden poke in his shoulder got him out of the rut. He looked to see Screw Loose poking him with a pen. Once he looked, she tossed it. "come off it, Glade. You can only do so much without getting tired. Heck, I think even the Princess' get tired of ruling the country."  
he's not going to argue with that. He caught Aunt Luna saying more then once that she hates being a princess. "You're right. We'll get there when we get there." he sighed and got comfy. "You know… a lot of romances have been started on this trip; Sweet Song's and Chaos Gun's, Sym and Golden Day, Marian and Windancer… you and me. Makes me wonder if anyone else in the group have feelings for anyone else."  
"I'm sure they do." Sweet Song said as she got comfy. "you can't live next to someone for a long time without developing a crush. Those old Sitcoms are proof of that." Glade nodded in agreement.

The 2 fillies and 1 Draconequus baby descended down a long flight of stairs which they found behind a hidden door in a wall.  
"exactly how far down is this?" Fire Ruby asked.  
"who knows?" Goldie sighed with a groan. "I just hope we get their soon. My hooves are killing me."  
"weakling." Eris snidely commented.  
"HEY!"  
"SHH!" Fire Ruby went. "You guys hear that?"  
The arguing Pony and Draconequus went silent. 20 seconds into that moment, sounds of machinery powering up reached their ears. "what's that?" all 3 of them muttered.

Starlight slept soundly into the night, glad to have Bass right next to her- in her life. It felt complete, felt whole for the first time in a long while.  
A breeze blew in from outside, gently swathing her cheek. The breeze suddenly gained strength, turning into a full-blown gust. That's what woke her up. She sleepily blinked then yawned. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark but, when it did, Star's daddy came into focus.  
"Dad." she whispered in surprise, careful not to wake Bass up. "what are you doing here?"  
Sombra used his magic to open the door. While doing so, he gestured her to come. "we have some things to talk about."  
Talk about? What is there to talk about? Careful not to wake Bass up, she got out of bed and headed out with him.  
"What is there to talk about?" she asked as she closed the door.  
"A number of things." Sombra said. "Most notably, you."  
"me?"  
Sombra walked down the corridor without a word. Starlight followed not far behind. "more specifically, your powers over time."  
Of course he'd bring that up. Thanks to what happened back there, she's surprised he didn't come to talk sooner. "what about it?"  
"you've been told that no being in the history of Equestria has ever held mastery over time. Star Swirl the Bearded could manipulate it but not master it. Not like you." the two entered the audience hall, which Sombra lit with his magic. The Hearth's Warming Eve decorations were still up, which was no surprise there. "but… there's something you should know."  
Sombra walked in front of a case, holding a floating pocket watch. Starlight saw it when she first entered the place but could never figure out what it was. "what is this?"  
Sombra used his magic to open the case and pull the watch out. "This, I believe, is yours."  
"Mine? Why do you say that?"  
Sombra grabbed Starlight's hoof and placed the watch on it. "it appeared in my castle the day you were born. And from what I noticed, whenever you used your powers over time, it glowed."  
"just like my Cutie Mark." she flipped the watch around and saw that it was engraved, but it was written in a foreign language so she couldn't read it. "you think… this had a reason for my power over time?"  
"Possibly." he walked off to the throne, leaving Starlight to look at the watch. She broke her look and went after him just as he sat on the chair. "also… there's something else you should know."  
"what?"  
"when the humans arrived, and when you were conceived, a number of 'scripted' events changed considerably."  
Scripted events? She guesses that without the humans, Discord would be running wild, Chrysalis would be in control of Canterlot, the ponies would still be human and enslaved by Nightmare Moon, and Oscurita and his handler Orochi would have destroyed the world. "so… what did I change?"  
Sombra brought up a screen, detailing events of something that never happened. In this case, Magical Mystery Cure. "Originally, Twilight Sparkle was to alter her friends destinies by switching their Cutie Marks."  
the screen showed the events of what he said, Applejack being the fashionista, Pinkie in charge of Sweet Apple Acres, and Twilight in a depression. "it was after putting everything back to normal that her life was supposed to change forever."  
the screen played Twilight putting things back to normal, writing into the journal, being blasted by the Elements of Harmony, and appearing in Limbo with Celestia, going over the events of her life. "And just how was she supposed to change? Why…" the screen played Twilight descended back to the earth, revealing a pair of wings. "she was to become a Alicorn and a Princess of Equestria."  
Starlight hadn't heard that. "a…. princess?"  
"indeed." the screen then played her coronation. "she was to become a Princess with Magic being her gift to the world, like Celestia's Sun, Luna's Moon, Cosmos' Stars, and Cadence's Love."  
How is she sure he wasn't making this up? "how do you know this?"  
"During your… episode earlier, I also noticed a few different events playing, each focused on Equestria. They had nothing to do with us but it showed events that never happened, because something in our universe changed."  
"so… what changed?"  
The screen switched to Canterlot just moments after the Winter War. "the Changelings counter attack, for starters. In the other universe, they didn't attack. And the humans didn't appear. And…"  
"And I was… never born?"  
Sombra hesitated then nodded. The screen changed to Celestia's and Twilight's conversation after the war. They were in the heavily damaged throne room in Canterlot, though the murals were surprisingly unscathed. Celestia and a Pregnant Twilight talked near one of them. Star could tell this was the past cause mom said she was pregnant with her during the war. What Sombra found was actually a alternate universe during Star's episode but she didn't need to know that. The events leading up to it were the same, but the conversation was different.

"a… a princess? Me?" Twilight gasped. Her voice was distorted and echoy, which one can suspect for a event from years ago playing now.  
"yes." Celestia nodded. "I was grooming you to become a Princess, like me, Luna, and Cadence. But… things have changed."  
Twilight wondered what changes. then it hit her. There was only one thing big enough to change her becoming a princess. "my baby?"  
"Yes. When you became pregnant with Starlight, it halted all of that. I could never bring it to force you to abandon your daughter just as she's born. That would be inpony of me."  
"I…" Twilight couldn't find the words. Her? A princess? But Starlight had changed all that. If she wasn't pregnant, she wonders if she would've been a princess. "I understand, Celestia. It's just…. I didn't expect you to say that. But… is Starlight really the only thing holding me back?"  
"I'm afraid so."

The alternate scene stopped there but Starlight took it to be truth. She changed so much and she didn't even know it. She didn't know that Celestia was grooming her mother to become a princess. She never expected this.  
"why… why are you showing me this?"  
"because I wanted to show you what would've been. There are so many ways ones life can change, it's mind-boggling. And so, to repeat my earlier question about you staying here, I have another proposal."  
"Proposal?"  
"our lives can change in just a second, if something as simple as a rock hits us on the head, leaving a little welt. So… I'm proposing that we travel back in time and change our fates."  
Travel back in time?! "But… but I've never done that before."  
"you sent a Timberwolf back."  
"that was different. I was fighting to protect my friends."  
"And you will here. If we go back, we can prevent you from getting your powers over time and becoming a Alicorn. And we can prevent me from discovering my powers over shadow."  
In her shocked state, knowing she caused a number of things to change, she didn't think it all the way though. "but… what about my friends?"  
"this is a undertaking we must go on by ourselves. They would only get in the way."  
That part, she didn't like. She would never see her friends again. Never see Marian… Goldie… Bass. Never see them again… it's too much. "I… I… I need to think about this."  
"I understand." Sombra said with a cold nod. "sleep on it and give me your answer before you leave. I'll understand either way."  
She didn't nod or say 'okay.' She just left. How is she going to sleep with all this going though her head? Knowing she changed her mom's life more then she realized? How many things would've changed if she'd never been born?  
If she had… never been conceived.


	40. Darkness Rising

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 39

Darkness Rising

Starlight couldn't sleep, not after she had a bombshell like that dropped on her. After Sombra revealed what the world was supposed to be if the humans hadn't come and she hadn't been born, the broken Alicorn took away from that whole talk that… her whole existence screwed everything up. If she wasn't conceived, then… then maybe the world wouldn't been better off. That's what she took from it.  
And now, her father is offering to help her erase the fact that she can use time by using her power to travel back in time to change their fates. If he does it, that she'll be free. No Mother or powerful Aunt riding down her neck, controlling her every move; being able to do what she wants. She'd still be a Alicorn, sure, but she'll finally have a say in her life.  
This is so hard… she can't decide. Go back with her friends to Ponyville tomorrow… or stay with Sombra and go back in time… and leave Bass?  
She can't just abandon him. They've been though so much in so little time. And she can't break up with him just after they started a relationship. It wouldn't be fair to him. It would just break his poor heart.  
Faust, why is this so hard? Her own happiness or the happiness of others? Change her life or change the lives of others? Her heart is aching under these decisions. Why is it so hard?

After finding a hidden door in one of the corridor walls, Fire Ruby, Goldie, and the Draconequus Eris descended down the stairs hiding behind it. After what seemed like forever, the trio found another door, not so hidden this time. Behind it, they heard the sound of a machine powering up, along with inhuman growls and hisses.  
"…the heck?" Eris muttered, putting her ear to it to try and get a better listen. It didn't help much. "there's something behind there. But I can't figure out what?"  
"and there's no keyhole." Ruby pointed out. "so peeking in is out of the question."  
Goldie gulped out of fear. "don't you think we should get out of here? I don't think we're supposed to be down here. Why else would Sombra hide this?"  
They didn't say it verbally but Ruby and Eris agreed. They started back up the stairs when a sudden appearance of dark fire appeared in front of them. Sombra had appeared. And he wasn't expected to see the children. "What are you 3 doing?" he coldly asked.  
The trio gulped out of fear. "n-n-nothing." Ruby said nervously. "we just found the secret door and we were curious what's down here."  
"y-y-y-y-y-yeah." Eris stammered. "And we couldn't open that door to see what's behind it so… so no harm done." Sombra looked at them with cold eyes, not buying it for a minute. The trio yelped then bolted up the stairs.  
He left them go. They weren't worth the effort. He looked at the door. They told the truth; the door wasn't messed with. They may have heard the machine but with it closed, they wouldn't have been able to figure what it was. He figures, with their imagination, it's a powerful monster kept at bay by a machine.  
Too bad they'll never know what's really in there.

When the sun rose, everyone was in the audience hall, getting ready for the trip home. Well, most of the group were. Starlight was having a hard time trying to figure out what to do.  
She deeply sighed, having finally reached a difficult answer. "he's not going to like this…" she said with a cracked voice. With a heavy heart, she got out of bed. She really didn't want to do this. Not to him.  
She stopped at the door, hoof just inches away from the handle. She couldn't bring herself to go out. Her heart reached new depths of hopelessness and depression. She leaned her head on the door and silently sobbed.  
"I'm so sorry…" she sobbed. She fell to her knees and sobbed harder.

The group gathered in the audience hall, getting ready for the return trip. Despite going over every conceivable route back but the only way is the Wyrm Pass. Guess they are going to fly over that.  
Erys stopped her packing for a moment and looked around the hall. "You know… we've only been here for a few days… but I'm gonna miss this place."  
"Yeah." Woona agreed. "The pool, the gardens…." her mouth drooled at the thought. "the fooohohohod. Oh, yummy food."  
Marian rolled her eyes and face-palmed. "Here we go again." she said, irritated at her sister. Again.  
Bass packed up his bag then flopped it onto his back. He then went to packing Starlight's. she asked him to go and pack it for her. He didn't ask, he just went. Though he senses that something is wrong with her. If only she would say what.  
Sombra suddenly appeared before them, scaring half of the group, even more so to the kids. He ignored them. "so, I take it you're all ready to go?"  
"Yeah." Glade said, heaving his pack onto his back. "just waiting for Starlight."  
Starlight… hopefully, she'll make the right decision. HIS decision. He hit her with a number of bombshells that her life screwed up others. She has no choice. He didn't show it externally, but internally, he was smiling evilly.

Starlight reached the entrance to the hall and stopped. She can't. she just can't go in and tell him. She just can't. it'll hurt him badly. It'll hurt her. But… but she made her choice and she had to go though with it.  
With a heavy heart, Starlight entered the hall.  
Bass was the first to spot her. "Ah, Star!" he got up and headed to her. "got your pack packed." he placed it on her back and went in to give her a peck on the cheek, but didn't and instead gave her a friendly punch. "we're getting ready to head out soon."  
Starlight looked at the pack, then to her father. She closed her eyes and made a single tear fall. he's gonna hate her for this.  
She grabbed her pack and tossed it to the floor. "I'm not going back. Not now. Not ever!"  
None of her friends could believe what they heard. "What?" Goldie, Marian, and Windancer gasped.  
Bass really couldn't believe it. "Starlight… you can't mean that."  
"I mean it!" she exclaimed, trying hard to hide her sadness with anger. "I am never, EVER, going back to Ponyville!"  
"why?" Cotton asked, trying to understand her decision.  
"Why?! Because my life is a abomination! I was never meant to exist! My entire life has thrown the world offbalance! I was just never supposed to exist! I was… I was never supposed to be…" Nobody could believe what they're hearing. Not one word. "Mom would be better off if I wasn't alive. Aunt Celestia would be better off if I wasn't alive. Everyone would be better off if I wasn't alive."  
This is complete bullcrap. Glade angrily frowned to her. "Are you serious? Everyone would be better off if you weren't alive? Just what thoughts are going though your head?"  
"Shut up, Glade!" Starlight yelled. "My whole life has been a complete disaster! And I messed up all of yours as well! If I wasn't born, I wouldn't have screwed everything up."  
What is she talking about? She never talked about this before. "S-sis…" Goldie said with a cracked voice.  
"stop calling me that, Goldie! I'm not your sister! I was never meant to be your sister! Admit it, all of you. You all felt guilty for me being a Alicorn and just hung out with me to make me feel better! Admit it! And you all felt that I was never meant to be as well, didn't you?!"  
Nobody answered. They never wanted to say anything to her but… they did feel guilty for her. Everyone but Goldie and Bass felt that way. Speaking of whom, Bass shook his head. "That's not true!" he exclaimed. "I care about you too much for you to say stuff like that!"  
"Shut up, Bass!" Starlight yelled. That caused cracks in both their hearts. "I know that's not true!" she didn't believe it but she doesn't want Bass to be caught up in what her and Sombra have planned. "You only cared about me because I was a Alicorn. I didn't believe Marian at first but it's true! I can't believe I couldn't see it before!"  
Bass's heart sank. She can't mean this. She just can't mean any of it. "Starlight…"  
She had to get them to leave and not come back to stop her. She had to do it. "just go away! Leave me alone!" her heart broke when she said that. And this added more hurt to it, "I don't want to see you again! Ever!"  
Starlight turned and quickly ran away, leaving everyone dumbstruck. For Bass, he was heartbroken. Why did she act like that? Why did she say that? Does she really hate her own life enough to forget everyone else who loves her? He held his heart, which hurt horribly.  
Sombra kept up a calm face, despite what had just happened. "(good, Starlight. Good. You made the right choice.)" now, to keep up appearances, "I… I'm so sorry, I didn't expect this to happen." he said, pretending to be sympathetic. "I'll try to talk to her."  
Glade picked up Starlight's pack and sighed. "Don't. she's made up her mind." he angrily said.  
Nobody could believe this had happened. It didn't seem possible. They had no idea Starlight felt that way. And… they did feel sorry for her for being a Alicorn. With heavy hearts, they all headed for the exit to make the long, and now arduous, journey home.  
Bass and Goldie, however, didn't want to believe this. They can't believe this. They just can't. Glade saw them still standing there. "Goldie! Bass! We're going!" he yelled out.  
Bass lament fully sighed. If he had seen this coming… he couldn't done something to prevent it. And Goldie… having her own sister say that…  
Bass walked over and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Goldie…"  
the filly burst into tears and hugged Bass. "why did she say that?" she cried.  
He didn't know. And if he did, he doubts she'll understand. "Come on. Let's go home." Goldie didn't want to leave. She didn't want to do anything. Bass knew what she was feeling. He put her on her back and slowly walked after the others.  
Sombra watched them leave with cold, unfeeling eyes. When the door closed, it left a thundering boom in it's wake.  
"hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm."  
Low, sinister laughter echoed though the hall, imitating from one dark unicorn. "he he he he he he he." they were gone, they were finally gone. It seems too good to be true. It's coming true. His plan is coming true.  
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Starlight ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She leaned back on the door and broke down. She told her friends to f*&k off. She told her sister to forget her… she told her coltfriend to leave her alone.  
She broke down into tears. She ran to her bed, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it tightly as she cried. Hard.  
"Goldie… Bass… I'm so sorry!"

It took them 40 minutes to reach the edge of the valley. It felt like 40 years. Starlight's outburst really got them down. For Goldie and Bass, it was heartbreak.  
When he reached the edge, Bass looked back to the castle. Starlight would never say something like that… Starlight would never say anything like that. She may be weak willed but she wouldn't break; she's stronger then that. And why now; after 18 years?  
"Something's wrong." he said. It got the group to stop and looked back to him. "there's something wrong with this picture."  
He's grasping at straws. "Bass…" Golden Day whined.  
"No. no no no. why would Starlight snap now? Why not a year earlier? Or 2 years?"  
"Bass… it's over." Marian defeated said. "you heard her. She doesn't want us. She doesn't want to live anymore. She wants nothing to do with us anymore."  
"but it's weird that she would snap now, just days after finding her dad. That spells suspicious in my book."  
"Bass, that's enough." Woona sternly said. "just… just give it up."  
"no. no, I'm not. Something is horribly wrong with Starlight. I just know it."  
"Give it up! Starlight doesn't want us." Cotton whined. "why won't you accept that?"  
"Because…" Bass paused there. This was hard to say, with his poor heart broken like this. "because…" might as well come right out and say it. "Because I love her. And… and I know that she wouldn't just say this."  
He's in love with her? A out of nowhere earth pony is in love with Starlight? "Called it! Sym exclaimed with great relish." he chuckled. "Pay up!" the mares and stallions mumbled and pulled out what bits they have.  
Wait, what? "Wait, what?"  
"we've known this since the Leopard village." Soarin' said as Eris Shine paid both hers and Soarin's bet to Sym. "we were betting when you or Star would come right out and say it."  
Bass's mouth dropped. They knew and they betted on it? "you guys are mean. but that's beside the point. There's something wrong with Starlight and we have to go back and help."  
Glade sighed with a defeated sigh. "Bass… she's made her choice. She doesn't want to come back. She doesn't want anything to do with us anymore. Just… just give it up."  
Glade headed up to the rim but Bass already had a good counter-argument. "What if it was Screw Loose?" Glade stopped in mid-step and slowly looked back. "What if Screw Loose was the one who snapped?"  
Glade and Screw Loose exchanged looks. What if it was her? He loves her and she loves him so… if she said that to him… "Even if you're right, what makes you so sure that Starlight even wants us to come back? Or if what she said was true?"  
"Glade…" Marian softly said.  
"face it, Bass. She won't change her mind. She was always stubborn that way." he unfurled his wings and took to the air. "you just have to accept that and move on."  
Whatever respect Bass had for Glade, it was replaced with anger. He's a captain of the guard. He's supposed to protect the people. He's nothing but a coward. "Fine!" Bass tossed his bags to the ground. "but I'm going back whether you like it or not." Bass turned and headed back to the castle.  
"Glade!" Filigree insisted.  
"leave him. If he wants to go back, that's his problem." he flapped his wings once, only to be caught on the receiving end of a tackle.  
The Alicorn and his assailant rolled on the ground, passing a surprised Bass and crashing right into a pine tree. A clawed hand picked up Glade and pinned him onto the tree. Glade opened his eyes and saw the assailant was … a Gryphon? A surprised Gryphon, giving his eyes. "Glade?"  
It took the captain a moment to recognize the Gryphon. "Silverbolt?" the Gryphon let him go. Glade flapped his wings and hovered. "what are…"  
"Oh. Thank goodness. We made it." Bolt's companions panted.  
"Aunt Daring?" Windancer said.  
"Uncle Leon? Aunt Friction?" Golden Day and Season's Edge said in confusion. "what are you all doing here?"  
"Give us… give us a moment…" Daring panted. "WHOO! That's the fastest I've ever flown. Whoo…"  
"un… did we miss something?" Fire Ruby asked. The Draconequus shrugged.  
Leon caught his breath and got up. "where's Starlight?"  
"Starlight?" Bass asked in confusion. "she's in that castle with Sombra. She said she wasn't coming back in… the most hurtful way possible."  
"well, believe us, the hurting is just about to start." Friction said.  
"Huh?"  
Daring reached into her saddle bags and pulled out the letter Derpy had written her. "Read this. It'll explain everything."  
Not really sure what's going on, and a bit cautious about it, Glade took the letter and read it. His friends all leaned it to read it. And it wasn't all friendly.  
"WHAT!?"

Starlight cried her heart out into the pillow she hugged tight. She never meant a word of it but she had to say it… to keep her friends… to keep her Bass from stopping her. She just can't live like this… like a Alicorn anymore. She just wants a normal life.  
Sombra appeared in her room via his usual way. He walked over and sat down beside her. "I understand that must've hurt, Starlight…"  
"You have no idea." a choked up Starlight cried.  
Sombra glanced away, momentarily remembering the image in the picture. "You'd be surprised."  
"no. my heart feels like it's been stabbed a million times by the sharpest blade… then shattered against a rock. I said all those hurtful things and… and I just…" Star broke down and started crying again.  
Sombra placed a sympathetic hoof on her shoulder. "it's going to be okay. We pull this off and you can have your friends and Bass back."  
Starlight sniffled. "I… I suppose." she sniffled again and wiped her tear soaked eyes. "better-" she choked up, finding it hard to speak. One hard gulp later, she was able too. "Better get started."  
Sombra slowly nodded and got up. Starlight shuffled off her bed. She wiped her eyes yet again. "So… how do we get started?"  
Sombra evilly smiled. "simple." his eyes twinkled.  
Starlight raised a eyebrow in confusion. Why would that-

Begin Song: watch?v=kXwz2IdsCsc The Nightmare - Kingdom Hearts 3D: DreamDropDistance OST

All of a sudden, her vision blurred. She felt dizzy and tired at the same time, knees shaking beneath her. "D-dad…" she sleepily said.  
Sombra just stood there, watching as his daughter futilely tried to stay awake. "pleasant dreams…" Starlight's vision blurred completely, then went black. Her unconscious body slumped to the ground. "…for when you wake up, everything will have changed." Leopold suddenly appeared beside him. "is it ready to go?"  
"just needs the Staff of Jeria… and her."  
Sombra evilly chuckled. "well… we got both…" he used his magic to pick Starlight up and open a portal made out of dark fire. "have the shadows and the clones ready to move. We're leaving this horrendous time period behind."  
"yes, sire…" Leopold bowed, then disappeared.  
Sombra looked at his unconscious daughters face. So innocent… so serene. Too bad for her. The dark unicorn walked into the fire and disappeared.

Nobody in the ground could believe what they had just read. They were with him; they didn't sense that he was evil. But, there it was, written in ink.

'Daring, it's Derpy. I don't have a lot of time so I need to make this brief. These 2 Changelings, Leon and Friction, came in search of you because I told them too. They're gonna need your help.  
'your niece Windancer left with her friends to the north to find Starlight's real father, who they found. His name is Sombra and he's bad news. He's the one who forced the Changelings to do what they did both times. He's also evil, decimating his village when he was 5.  
'please, go with these 2 and help out Windancer and her friends. They need help. Sombra is evil and the longer they stay with him, the more danger they're in.'

"That son of a bitch lied to us!" Glade snarled as he ripped up the letter.  
"I knew something was wrong with him." Sweet Song snarled. "there never was such a thing as Ambrose- Bastard made the whole thing up."  
"He's gotta be the one who created me." Chaos Gun said with a cold snarl. "it makes so much sense. How could a being trapped in ice create me and the Oscurita clone, without having seen Oscurita to begin with?"  
"that's not the worst of it." Leon said.  
"there's more?" Cotton whined.  
"All over the planet, shadows are moving all on their own; some gobble others up while some just… disappear. Nobody knows why but everyone who had their shadows go missing become sick within the first few days.  
So, it was Sombra all along. He must've planned all this from the beginning; made it so that Starlight had to go in search of her real father, and therefore come to him… and bring her powers over time with her. But why? And what do shadows have to do with this?  
"He's building a army." Bass concluded.  
"Huh?"  
"that's what he's doing. He's using his power over shadows to weaken us by making us sick by getting rid of our shadows; half our soul exists in shadows. And by using Starlight, a being who has powers over time, he can travel to the future, or to the past to a moment where the world was weak, and take control of Equestria in one fell swoop."  
"he must've planned this from the beginning." Marian said. "He choose Twilight because of her magical prowess and knew that Starlight would get the same training. Then, once she was powerful enough, he would appear before her in a alternate form and seed the lies that would lead to all this."  
"that how would Starlight have gotten power over time? Or why is she a Alicorn?" Goldie asked.  
"there must've been trial and error over the years. And Starlight must've been the finished product."  
Bass didn't want to hear any more. His Marefriend is in danger and they're standing around talking. "Who cares about that now? Starlight is in danger!"


	41. True Colors

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 40

True Colors

Begin Song: watch?v=5XcYFsK8R9k What Are You Prepared To Sacrifice - Crysis 3 OST

0:00.  
After what felt like a long night's sleep, Starlight stirred and opened her eyes. It felt like the past few days have been a complete dream… or a total nightmare. Verbally hurting her friends, forcing Bass to leave in such a heart-wrenching way… it had to be a nightmare.  
And it's not going to get better.  
Starlight opened her eyes to find her surroundings… shimmering? She reached out to touch it, only to find it slippery and cold. "glass…?" the mare got up, only to hit her head on the top. It was clear; she was inside a glass bubble, but why?  
She looked over the side to see machinery working in unison, generating electricity and sending it into a big machine, a large teals coil of which Star and her sphere are on. Shadows swirled around the machine, snarling and growling like inpony beings. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.  
She pushed on the glass, hoping there was some kind of exit. There wasn't, not one that she could find. She tried ramming into it. The glass was as thick as a baby's arm. The mare whined in fear. "What's going on?" she rammed into it again, this time warrenting a response.  
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Sombra said. Star looked and saw that he was busy putting in calculations into a computer. To his right was a screen showing her vital signs. Her heart rate was elevated, which was understandable giving what she's going though. "you could break something important."  
Starlight pounded on the glass, hoping it would break. "Dad! Dad, please let me out of this! Please!"  
Sombra's cape turned into demonic wings. with a flap, he flew up to her. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You are far too important to let go."  
"What are you talking about? Just let me go!" she pleaded.  
Sombra hovered there for a moment, giving her the illusion that he's actually thinking. "no." he coldly said. He flew back down to his computer and continued putting in calculations.  
"w-what? Dad, why?"  
Sombra growled. "For Faust's sake, stop calling me that!" he yelled. Starlight went wide-eyed when he yelled.  
"d-dad…" then it hit her. He never really cared. He was just putting on a façade. "you lied to us, didn't you? You lied to my friends, you lied to Bass… you lied to me…" she shook her head, hoping this part wasn't true. "am I really your daughter?"

1:01.  
The group returned to the castle to find that the gates were locked tighter then a bank vault. Sombra must've considered them returning if they found out or got suspicious.  
"1...2...3!" Bolt, Bass, Filigree, Leon, and Soarin', the toughest members in their group; physically, rammed into the gate, trying to get them open. They didn't make any leeway. They tried again, and again, and again, but the gates are locked tight.  
"it's no good. This thing is locked tight!" Daring said. She turned her attention to the Draconequus. "You're like Discord, right? Can't you use your powers to stop this?"  
"I can't. I'm just a baby." Eris said.  
"Powerful enough to decorate the hall with Hearths' Warming Eve decorations." Peppy said.  
"yeah, but that took a lot out of me. I'm not that powerful. I might have been able to do it years ago but when your spirit is inside someone else, you tend to become lazy with powers." Daring and Friction looked at each other weird expressions. They didn't know and they didn't want to know. "why not use a tree? They make good battering rams." Eris suggested, pointing to a nearby pine.  
"it's better then nothing." Glade said. He spread his wings and flew over to it. "we gotta stop Sombra from whatever plan he has cooked up and that means getting though that door by any means necessary."  
Nobody argued, especially Bass. He was going to rescue Starlight, even if it costs him his life. He was going to save her, no matter what.

1:25.  
"…am I… really your daughter?" Starlight heartbreakingly asked.  
Sombra didn't plan on her asking that. He stopped what he was doing and, without moving his head, glanced back to her. "Yes. You are my daughter. Everything I told you and your friends was true; I can use shadows, I am your father, I was chased out of my hometown. But… I didn't tell you everything."  
Didn't tell them everything? Starlight looked on in fear, worried about what he's going to say. "when I told you that Orochi and Tsylatac came to me, I said I declined…" he physically pulled down a switch, sending electricity running into the machine. "I lied."  
"Lied?" the machine beneath her stirred and powered up.  
"yes. I accepted their offer of universe domination, considering they let me rule Equestria. They accepted and we forged our alliance."  
"so why didn't you go with them then?"  
Sombra stood silent for a moment. "I needed to… obtain a few things." he used his magic to summon up the item he stole from the museum. "one being the Staff of Jeria. Their compatriot Kyra already took Zax's Blade from Manehatten years ago, during Discord's and Eris' rampage. The other…" he looked back to her.  
She knew what he was going to say. The one thing nobody of Equestria could do. "… was someone with mastery over time." she couldn't believe this. "You used me. You needed me for this whole Faust-Forsaken thing! I can't believe you'd do that!"  
"Like how you didn't use your friends? Or that they didn't use you?"  
Starlight looked away. She forgot what she did to her friends just a hour ago… and what her friends did to her for a lifetime. She shook her head, clearing her head. "that's beside the point. They'll come rescue me. I know it."  
Sombra rolled his eyes. "Face it! Your friends never cared for you. They only hung out with you because of your power. They wanted nothing but the power you held." Sombra's cape turned into wings and he flew up to the machine. "they never cared for you. Bass included. When he found out you're a Alicorn, he decided to use you to find a way to gain power."  
Starlight didn't want to hear anymore. "You're lying!" she cried, tears falling down your face.  
Sombra snarled and slammed the lance into the glass, cracking it. "Accept the truth, Starlight! Your friends aren't coming to rescue you! They never loved you before and they won't love you now!" a burst of darkness shot out of him when he yelled. It only lasted for a brief second. Certain he got his point across, Sombra flew down to the bass of the machine.  
He's lying… he has to be lying… he just has to be. They… they loved her for her… didn't they? Starlight fell to her knees, accepting what he said as truth. They just wanted to use her, just as her father is using her now. She may have said it to get them to leave but she's now accepting it as truth.  
Her life… is a abomination. A mistake.

Song

"HRAH!"  
everyone rammed the stripped pine tree into the castle gates for the 10th time. This time, the doors burst open and slammed into the walls.  
"Finally!" everyone cheered.  
Bass let go of the tree and ran in. "Bass, wait!" Marian yelled out. She jumped over the tree and ran after him.  
"we gotta help Starlight!" he yelled back.  
Suddenly, Bass was whacked by a tail, sending him flying into the left side of the wall. The tail whipped again at Marian. She yelped and quickly ducked.

Begin Song: watch?v=bbs6-BnNdO8 The Bloom of Passion - The Last Ranker OST

A large 2-headed dog made out of fire roared at them, baring teeth.  
"AHHH!" Marian yelled.  
"Great. Should've known Sombra wouldn't make this easy." Glade said as he powered up his magic. All the other Unicorns and Alicorns did the same.  
The Hell Hound howled with both heads, sending fire out of it's body and striking them. The magic users jointly cast a shield spell that protected them from the fire. The fire splashed over the barrier and onto the walls, burning everything on it.  
"No, it took me ages to come up with those designs." Peppy whined.  
Once the fire passed, they cleared the shield. Bad idea. The Hell Hound jumped at them, mouths wide open. Chaos Gun got in it's way and blasted a magical beam into it's eyes. The heads ducked and the monster laughed.  
"oh, you know it's not good when a monster la-" Chaos' little observation was cut short when he was swiped by the beast's paw, sending him into the right wall. The impact knocked him out cold.  
"CHAOS!" Sweet Song yelled. She attempted to run over to him but was blocked by Leon.  
"remember? Giant hell beast running about?"  
Speaking of which, the monster roared and reared it's entire body back. With a sinister howl, it slammed down on to the ground, causing a powerful earthquake. The shaking caused everyone to lose their balance and fall down. The fliers took to the air to avoid it, which was what the Hell Hound wanted.  
The left head roared and breathed fire in their direction like a dragon. Glade and Woona quickly summoned up a barrier to protect them all but as they were the only ones, they didn't have enough power to make it last.

From within the basement, Sombra and Starlight felt the ground rumble. Starlight looked around, trying to find where it came from while Sombra just snarled.  
"(Dammit. They came back for her. Why else would Twinbellows be active?)" he looked to the computer screen and snarled. "(you better hold them off, you mangy pup, or else it's back to that volcano for you.)"

The Hell Hound roared as it tried to bite down on Daring. She dodged it by jumping to the side, only to be nearly crushed by it's paw. Bolt swooped in and saved her before being crushed.  
The Hound roared and breathed fire again. Everyone ducked or flew out of the way. Those who ducked had their tails singed.  
"Anybody have a giant bucket of water or something?" Goldie asked.  
"Now's not the time for jokes!" Eris and Fire Ruby exclaimed. 2 large paws came down in front of them. They gulped and looked up to see the monster standing over them, teeth bared and dripping whatever drool a Hell Hound drools.  
"RUBY!" Filigree yelled.  
The right head snarled then snapped it's jaws down at the helpless children. The 3 of them yelled, closing their eyes and awaiting the inevitable.  
A sudden explosion appeared on the side of the monster's body. It caused the monster to stagger and trip into the wall.  
The blast came from Chaos Gun, who was super pissed. A spear of electricity appeared in his right hoof. "Get away from them, you son of a bitch."  
The Hell Hound regained itself and roared at him. Chaos scoffed at the monsters foolish attempt at scaring him. He heaved the spear up and chucked it at the beast. It hit in between the heads, at the nape of the joining. Electricity shot from the monsters body, causing it to roar in pain.  
Chaos disappeared then reappeared behind it. He powered up his magic and set loose a powerful magic attack. It tore into the monsters back, causing more pain. It hit the heart and the battle was over.  
The hound suddenly exploded. It didn't leave any gorey messes behind. It just… went.

End Song.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, thankful that that monster went bye-bye. Chaos Gun walked over to the children, who cuddled together out of fear, eyes closed tight.  
"You can open them now." he said with a smirk.  
Goldie opened one eye to see that the monster was indeed gone. "Whew! That was close." she got up and breathed a sigh of relief. "right guys?" Ruby and Eris didn't answer. "guys?" she looked down to see the two of them still holding each other tight, having not heard Chaos, apparently. Goldie rolled her eyes and poked both of them in the heads. "you can get up now."  
Still fearful, both Eris and Ruby opened their eyes to see that the monster was indeed gone. Both went 'whew' and lightly chuckled. The chuckle was cut short when they saw how close their mouths are to each other.  
"Aw. So cute." Filigree and Eris Shine cooed. Ruby and Eris quickly separated and got up. Their sisters laughed.  
Bass walked up, rubbing his head. "How'd you know where to hit that thing?"  
Sombra showed me where to hit it in case Twinbellows went on a rampage. Which it kind of did, in this case.  
"Twinbellows?" Sweet Song repeated. How did he know what the monster's name was? He couldn't have known. Unless… "Chaos? Did you… regain your memory?"  
Chaos looked to her and nodded. "yep. That whack from Twinbellows brought it back. I remember everything."  
"then maybe you can fill in some holes." Glade said as he walked up. "what is Sombra planning? What does he want with Starlight?"  
Chaos didn't hold back. He spilled everything.


	42. Showdown with the Lord of Shadows

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 41

Showdown with the Lord of Shadows

"Dad… please. Stop this." Starlight pleaded, hoping to get though to him. Sombra ignored her and continued working on the computer. "Dad, please!"  
Sombra groaned, lowered his head, and shook it 'no'. "And here I thought you'd be the more understanding of my children."  
"Children?" … "You mean… I wasn't the first?"  
Sombra pressed down on a big red button, powering up the machine. Spikes grew out of the sides and more spikes came out of those, effectively turning them into clubs to conduct electricity. "no. you weren't. there were many, many others."  
For some reason, this didn't shock her as much. Guess knowing your dad is evil makes anything else he reveals to be less of a surprise. "How?"  
Sombra chuckled. In a flash of dark fire, he turned into the green Pegasus from Feather Top. "benefit of using shadows; you can use the shadows of other living creatures to temporarily turn into said creatures. The time limit varies but ponies always seem to last longer. With these personas, I had my way with your mother, and with a number of other mothers out there."  
"So what's so special about me?"  
"It's fairly obvious, don't you think?" he said with a snarky tone. "you're the first to have power over time and a Alicorn. It took a long time for you to come. And you…" he paused for a long moment. Starlight looked up him with a curious glance. "you remind me of her." he said softly. It was barely audible but she heard it. Sombra shook his head. "… and you were the first among them all I… cared about."  
Sombra's cape turned into wings. He flew down to the base of the machine and put the staff inside it. The machine, now fully powered up, rumbled.  
Starlight asked one last question. "who were them? The other children?"  
Sombra stayed silent for a moment. Since she asked, he might as well tell her. "there's quite a number. And you even know some of them."

The hidden door found by Fire Ruby, Goldie, and Eris exploded inward, sending brick falling down the stairs at break-neck speed. The group quickly ran in and down the stairs.  
"he had more children then Starlight?" Golden Day asked Chaos as they ran down the stairs.  
"Many more." Chaos replied. "You saw the pictures we passed."  
"Yeah. Just finding it hard to believe."  
Before they blew the hidden passage in, the group came across a photo collage featuring all the children Sombra had sired. Among them, much to their surprise, were Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Lyra, and Chrysalis. And those are the ones they know. There were dozens of others but they didn't recognize them.  
"Sombra's original plan was to have him and his children conquer the world using the shadows. But all of his children rejected his dark powers in the womb, making them useless to him. Starlight is different."  
"She took them in." Glade said. "hence those eyes."  
"Yes. But his plan changed when Tsylatac and Orochi came to him, offering something greater then this feeble world. He accepted but they needed something more then just his powers of darkness. They wanted someone who can use time. And Sombra figured a way to make it so. Using a watch he had pilfered from a other-worlder who can use time, Tsylatac imbued it's powers into Starlight while Twilight was still pregnant with her."  
"Giving her powers over time…" Bass concluded. "so her being a Alicorn must've been a side-effect."  
"that part surprised Sombra as well. He expected her to be a Unicorn. The Alicorn was something he never expected."  
"We can agree with him there." Pound said.  
"So, where do the shadows come in?" Leon asked.  
"they're going to act as a power source, give his machine enough juice to activate. We defeat Sombra or destroy the machine, all of them, including the ones eaten, should go back to their original owners."

Begin Song: watch?v=OEV0d52XigM Overture to Destruction - Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva Soundtrack

The group reached the bottom of the stairway and saw the handle-less door in front of them. No problem for someone who can use magic. Chaos powered up and blasted right though it.

The door to the room exploded open, surprising Sombra and Starlight. Starlight's friends ran into the room, which infuriated the lord of shadows. The mare's heart jumped to see them.  
"STARLIGHT!" Bass called out.  
"Bass! You… you all came back for me?"  
"Of course we did. We are family, after all." Cotton said.  
"Family…" she never considered that from her friends. They were all like a second family to her.  
Sombra snarled and pressed down on a lever. The machine shuddered for a moment. The rings surrounding it slowly started up and began to turn. "You're too late!" he exclaimed. Electricity began to surge between the electric spikes, carrying it up to the glass ball Starlight was trapped in. she was effected, not yet anyway. The Staff of Jeria glowed a bright blue.  
"In a few moments, the machine, the Tesla Coil my compatriots have graciously provided for me, will be at full power and, for lack of a better word, 'aid' Starlight in her powers." his eyes turned red, green, and purple as always. His cape turned into wings and he took to the air. "I have waited 20 years for this to happen. And not one of you will get in my way- OUR WAY -for universal domination!"  
The room rumbled. Their eyes must be playing tricks on them because it looked as though the machine was rising. "Yeah? Well, we're gonna stop you Sombra! Using our friend, your daughter, is low! Even for you!" Chaos yelled.  
Sombra looked at him with anger. He had so much potential. Now he's allied with those mere insects. He stretched out his right hoof. In a flash of dark fire, the Staff of Jeria, or rather a magic-less copy he made, appeared in it. "Time for you to know what the price for failure is, you miserable reject." he aimed the staff at Chaos and fired a beam out of it. It hit him in the chest, sending him rolling back a few feet.

End Song.

Begin Song: watch?v=5XcYFsK8R9k What Are You Prepared To Sacrifice - Crysis 3 OST.

0:00.  
"Chaos!" Sweet Song exclaimed, running over to him. He was alive; that attack wasn't fatal, but it left him with quite the burn mark.  
Starlight looked on in horror. She shook her head and turned towards her father. "Dad, stop this! They're my friends and I won't let you hurt them!"  
Sombra snarled. "Friends?" he hates that word so much, he wants it wiped from existence. "Friends means that they'll help you when something bad goes wrong in your life. Friends mean they'll never betray you. Friends mean they'll be there for you!" He took a angry deep breath.  
"let me tell you friends truly are, Starlight. Friends are nothing but greedy, fearful, and hateful animals who say they like you one day then go and rat you out to the Princess'! that's what Friends truly are! They never like you and they'll get rid of you the first chance they get!"  
Starlight shook her head. That's not what friends are and he knows it. Wait… maybe it was his personal experience that turned him into this. His friends betraying him turned him evil.  
The castle itself violently shook as bits of brick fell around them.

1:01.  
"AGH! Guy hit be good." Chaos grunted, rubbing where Sombra hit him. He winced as soon as he touched it. "That smarts."  
Bass looked up at the rising lord and snarled. He's gonna pay. He started running into the room when 7 spouts of dark fire suddenly appeared in front of him. He packed up out of fear. What came out of the spouts surprised them good.  
A silver-blue haired tomboy maiden came out of the center spout. To her left was a crimson dragon with albino markings, and to her left was a girl with purple hair. They all recognize them from the stories and pictures.  
"Requiem?" Daring, Leon, and Friction said in confusion.  
"No." Chaos grunted. "It's not the real Requiem." he got up with Sweet Song helping him. "Sombra got their blood from their fights and used them to make mindless clones. These aren't the real humans. They're just copies."  
The Requiem Clone, with soul-less eyes, reached back behind her and slowly pulled out her sword. The Jax Clone grabbed her chakrams, Aura Clone pulled out his lance, Clone Sora pulled out her bow, Clone Ash pulled out his pistols, Clone Satoshi summoned up a scythe, and Clone Bahamut brandished his claws.  
If the stories are to be believe, Requiem and her friends are very powerful, Req in particular because she's a goddess. The group, even the guards, collectively gulped. This was gonna be the fight of their lives.  
Suddenly, the entire building violently shook, throwing them off balance. The clones held their ground, not moving a inch.

1:25.  
The electricity generated by the machine arced up into the glass sphere, frightening Starlight. Some of the arcs shot up into the closing ceiling, blowing it to bits. The brick that constructed it fell away, falling past the machine. One brick hit the glass sphere. Star hoped it would break it but it didn't even leave a dent.  
Sombra landed on at the control panel, which rose up with the machine. He smiled wickedly as it rose.

The audience hall in the castle crumbled away from the violent shaking. The glass sphere rose up from the floor, destroying it. The rest of the machinery followed. The rings picked up speed, gradually going faster and faster.

The roof to the castle broke open and fell apart. The large Tesla Coil rose up from the architecture, becoming a foreboding beacon to anyone passing by. The Aurora Borealis shone in the night sky, making the night sky beautiful. Before it turned deadly.  
Only the glass sphere, the control panel, and the upper 1/5 of the machine rose out of the castle. The rest, including Starlight's friends, were still in the castle.  
Long, painful looking spikes bore out of the castle and dug into the ground, holding the palace and the machine in place.

Starlight frantically tried to find a way out but couldn't. the sphere was locked down tight.  
The bottom of the sphere began to shimmer as water rose up from beneath. "Dad!" She called out, hoping Sombra would change his mind. He never did. "DAD!"  
Before long, the entire sphere filled up with water. The odd thing is that she can breath in it. That's something new.  
A jolt came from beneath, hitting her in the spine. Starlight went wide-eyed, then closed them as she entered a state of unconsciousness.

The Staff of Jeria powered up and sent a beam up though the machine. The beam came up from the bottom and hit Starlight in the heart. Her Cutie Mark glowed. The mare opened her eyes, which glowed as well.  
Her powers over time activated. Technically, she was still unconscious. Her body was moving the way the Staff was telling her to. Starlight powered up her powers as her body glowed.

Before long, a beam shot out of the machine and into the air. The beam hit a point in the air 1000 feet up, tearing open a hole in the sky. The sky rumbled and thundered as the hole opened wide. The sounds of thunder echoed all throughout the planet, causing a lot of confusion.  
Sombra laughed like a mad-man, happy to see that his plan, which took 20 years to complete, was nearing it's end.

2:35. End Song.

The castle basement rose up with the machine, now taking the place of the Audience Hall. The sudden shift surprised everyone. The machine roared with a drone and fired a beam of blue light into the air. The beam tore a hole in the sky, something nobody thought was possible.  
"that's not good, is it?" Friction asked.  
"You think!?"  
Bass snarled and tried to run to the machine. Clone Req's Sword came down in front of him, cutting him off. "Right. Forgot about them." Clone Bahamut snarled, baring his teeth. Bass gulped and backed up in fear.

Begin Song: watch?v=9-ZW4WWiDyY Blood Stained Sand - Metal Gear Rising: Revengence OST

0:00.  
Chaos stepped in between him and the clones, magic ready to go. Glade took up positions next to him.  
"we'll handle these things." Glade said. "You two get Starlight out of that thing."  
Chaos and Bass looked at each other, then back to Glade with a nod. "Sure you can handle them?" Chaos asked.  
"We went up against Windigoes, Wyrms, Timberwolves, even Nightmare Moon and Oscurita." Erys said as she got ready. "I think we can handle a few humans."  
"Just make Sombra pay for using Starlight like this." Season said as he and the others got ready to fight.  
Bass nodded. "Gotcha."  
The Jax Clone powered up her magic, encasing her rings in fire. She spun around and tossed them to the group. A well-placed shot by Leon got one of them off course. The other kept going.  
It hit and exploded against a invisible barrier.

0:24.  
Chaos Gun flew out of the smoke and fire, flying up the machine, carrying Bass on his back. The humans ignored them and returned their attention to the ponies that remained. Even the peaceful members got ready to fight them.

Chaos Gun flapped his wings, slowing to a halt, and dropped Bass on a catwalk. "what are you doing?" the confused Earth Pony asked.  
The Alicorn pointed to the open part of the machine, showing the Staff of Jeria. "get that Staff out. Without it, the machine will only run on half power. That'll cause the hole to close. Besides…" Chaos looked up and powered his magic. "I got a bone to pick with him."  
Bass was gonna ask what but figured it out on his own. He wants to get back at Sombra. "Gotcha." Chaos nodded then flew up.

Sombra pressed a few buttons into the computer, locking onto the right time. "August 15th, 1002..." the screen played a short video of the Orion, the airship of the humans, launching an attack on a heavily mutated Oscurita. "there…" he pressed one last button and set it.  
"SOMBRA!"

0:52.  
Chaos Gun burst though what ceiling remained, spun around, and fired a magic fireball at the lord of shadows. Sombra grabbed the copy staff and swung it around, negating the attack.  
The Dark Alicorn yelled, then spun into a screw. Multiple shots came out of the spin, all aimed to Sombra. The Unicorn swung the copy staff over his head once then slammed it into the ground, summoning a barrier that protected him from all the blasts.  
Chaos stopped spinning, summoned a electric spear like what he did against the Hell Hound, and yelled as he swung it down. Sombra lowered the barrier and countered with the staff, leading to a brilliant display of color.  
"Oh, tsk tsk tsk. Why all the hate, Chaos? You should be thanking me."  
"Thanking you!?"  
"Yes. If I never made you, you wouldn't have your beloved Sweet Song. But your betrayal has me thinking." Sombra overpowered the Alicorn and sent him to the ground. "I feel like that mare's life has gone on long enough!"  
Chaos Gun snarled. In his anger, he got more powerful to where his eyes glowed red. "You touch her and I'll end you!" he yelled, power shooting out of him.  
Sombra laughed at his foolish attempt at bravado and took a battle pose with the staff in his hooves. "you can try. But I'm the one who created you. And I can destroy you."  
The two lunged at each other, swinging their own weapons.

1:20.  
Bass looked the machine over, hoping to find some kind of weakness to it. He tried to take the real Staff of Jeria out earlier but it was protected by a electric shield. Learned that the long and painful way.  
He remembered from physics class that plastic can not conduct electricity, so he's busy trying to find that. Easier said then done from a castle made out of stone.  
"Ugh. I need something plastic. A bottle, a wire. Even a pair of gloves."  
*DING*  
Gloves… Sombra has a botanical garden. Which means him or one of his cronies must've done some gardening. Not to mention that this machine is using electricity. Hopefully the garden or the basement has a pair of plastic gloves.  
He jumped down to ground level and ran towards the garden. Better to get the farthest one first. "Hang on, Starlight." he pleaded as he ran out of the audience hall.

1:43.  
Sombra's Staff and Chaos' Lightning Spear collided, creating a dazzling display of sparks. Chaos wildly swung his weapon around, trying to land a hit. But Sombra knew his every move. He created him, after all.  
Sombra countered, blocking what hits that almost hit him, adding more brilliant displays of light into the mix. 4 times Chaos swung and 4 times Sombra blocked.  
The dark unicorn snickered on the last block. "hmhmhmhm. You're never gonna win, Chaos. You or your little friends."  
"Shut up!" Chaos swung his spear around. Sombra blocked it casually.  
"I'm much more powerful then anything you've ever faced. Face it. You're fighting a losing battle."  
"I said shut up!" Chaos swung again. Sombra caught it in the indent of his weapon and twisted the staff. Chaos' hoof cracked as the evil pony broke it by tearing the spear away.  
Sombra spun the spear around in his hooves and hit Chaos in the back with it, knocking the wind out of him. Sombra swung again, this time getting Chaos in the spot where the magic blast from earlier hit. Chaos yelled out in pain. Sombra swung again, this time slashing upward. If it wasn't for Chaos' tiny dragon scales, he'd be chopped in two right now.  
The Dark Unicorn hit the Dark Alicorn in the gut, sending him flying up into the air. Chaos silently yelled as he was hit 50 feet up into the air.  
Sombra reappeared next to him, swung the staff in a epic manner, and swung down on Chaos. The force sent Chaos falling back to the ground.  
Sombra raised the staff above him. A ball of pure energy appeared in it's indent. He swung it once to the left, leaving a white streak in it's wake. He pointed down at Chaos and fired a intense beam towards the falling pony.  
It struck Chaos in the same spot as the earlier magic blast did and sent him plummeting towards the castle.  
Sombra spun the staff. He brought the pointy end to his face. He blew into it like a gun slinger and his pistols, getting rid of the smoke.

3:05. End Song.

MEANWHILE…

Begin Song: watch?v=0pmVMtc_67o Out of the Frying Pan - The Hobbit: A Unexpected Journey Soundtrack

0:00.  
Chaos Gun flew out of the smoke and fire, flying up the machine, carrying Bass on his back. The humans ignored them and returned their attention to the ponies that remained. Even the peaceful members got ready to fight them.

"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Fire Ruby asked.  
"That's looking like a possibility." one of Glade's soldiers replied.  
The Ash Clone aimed his pistols at the group and fired Mana Bolts at the group. The two shots joined to make a much larger shot.  
"Aoh, Shit!" Sym yelled. Everyone jumped to avoid the blast. It hit where the group once were, causing a explosion. The group were separated from one another, leaving each of them to fight the humans on their own terms.  
The humans separated and went after the separate sects.

"Ow…" Fire Ruby and Goldie groaned. The Bahamut Clone landed right near them, mouth wide open as he prepared to breath fire. "AH!" the two fillies got up and quickly bolted away from the dragon. Bahamut breathed blue fire. It hit where the 2 once were. He spread his wings and flew though it after the fillies.

The Sora Clone aimed her arrows and fired them at Peppy, Cotton, and Sym. Out of the group, they had the least combat experience. The arrow struck Peppy's hat and stuck it on the wall.  
"Hey! That was given to me by m- uh-oh!" Peppy ducked as another arrow was aimed for her face. She ducked in the nick of time.  
Sym pulled the hat down, ripping part of it on the arrow head. "less talking, more running!" he said. She didn't argue as she grabbed her hat. The 3 of them ran for their lives away from Sora.  
Sora landed where they were, aimed, and fired a fire arrow at them.

The Jax Clone called lightning down from above, trying to strike Daring, Bolt, Season, and Filigree. The 4 of them dodged as best they could but with just a catwalk to work with, it wasn't exactly prudent.  
One bolt hit Filigree. a normal pony would be electrocuted by a attack like that, but since she's part dragon, it mildly shocked her. The Clone blinked in surprise to her, then down to her chakrams.  
"Part Dragon. Can't touch me with electricity!" Filigree boasted. Jax then went to a new magical tactic. Ice. That made Filigree nervous. "Ice, on the other hand…" Jax launched the icicle at the hybrid. Season jumped for her and pulled her down in time. The ice narrowly missed Bolt, clipping a feather on his wing.  
"Yeesh!" the 4 of them went. Jax's rings spun in her hands as they were engulfed in electricity. "Oh, come on!"

Pound, Pumpkin, Eris Shine, and Erys ran as fast as they could away from Ash's clone. Ash ran as fast as he could after them, firing bolt after bolt after bolt.  
"Doesn't this guy ever run out of ammo?" Eris Shine exclaimed.  
"Apparently not!" Pound and Pumpkin replied.  
Ash took careful aim and fired. This bolt hit Erys in the wing. She yelled and fell to the floor, skidding to a halt. Pound saw this, skidded to a halt, and ran back to help her. "Pound!" Pumpkin exclaimed as she skidded to a halt.  
Ignoring the danger, Pound reached Erys and helped her up. Ash took advantage and took aim at both of them. A well-timed barrier by Pumpkin blocked both shots.  
"you okay?" Pound asked.  
"Yeah. Thanks for saving me." the wounded Alicorn replied.  
"eh, no biggie." he said with a wink.  
"MOVE IT!" Eris Shine exclaimed. The two quickly got up and ran. Once they were far enough,, Pumpkin broke the barrier. Ash resumed his pursuit.

The Satoshi Clone fell from above, swing his Scythe to kill Leon, Friction, Woona, and Golden Day. The 4 of them ducked. Leon and Friction coated themselves in green fire and slammed into Satoshi's gut. As they were all clones, Sombra made them unable to feel pain, which was bad news to them.  
Satoshi quickly regained himself and swung the scythe again, nearly taking off Leon's head. Woona quickly used her magic to pull him back in time.  
The humans scythe turned into a gun. He aimed it and fired.  
"Time to leave!" Golden Day exclaimed, running for dear life. Nobody argued when they ran after her. Satoshi returned his scythe into a gun and ran after them.

The Aura Clone shot fire out of his lance to Sweet Song, Soarin' Cloud, and Windancer. The 3 of them spread their wings and took off. Aura looked up to them and snarled.  
"HA! Can't get us now, can you!?" Soarin' boasted.  
Aura angrily frowned as fire spiraled around him. The fire then turned into wings, wings attached to his back. He flapped them and took off.  
"Oh…" a defeated Soarin' went. "Did not know you could do that."  
Sol Aura reached them and slashed his lance up at Windancer. It hit, leaving a gash in her chest. It didn't seriously wound her, but it hurt like all hell.  
Sweet Song flew from behind and bucked Aura in the back. Either she was too weak or he was too strong; either way, it didn't work. Her hooves also got singed by the fire, causing her to yelp and blow at them.  
Aura turned to face her. Sweet Song lightly chuckled. "not a fan of kicks, I see."

That just left the Requiem Clone going after Glade, Marian, Screw Loose, Eris, and Glade's 7 soldiers. And since she's a goddess, they're gonna need all the help they can get.  
Although Nightmare Moon's influence is gone, Marian was still powered up by her Alicorn Amulet. Guess after 1000 years, the magical inducing properties stayed long enough.  
Requiem pointed her sword at them, wondering who to attack first. … Screw Loose. She's useless. She pointed her sword at her and fired a beam at her.  
Glade got in the way and took the blast for himself. The beam sent him into the wall, knocking him out cold.  
"GLADE!" Screw Loose exclaimed.  
"Captain!" his soldiers yelled out.  
Glade was still alive, but badly wounded. That attack hit him right in the spine, making it awkward to move.  
"Oh, you're so dead!" Marian exclaimed. She powered up her magic, making a sword-like beam appear out of her horn. Requiem smirked at the concept and took up her battle pose.  
This was gonna be a cake-walk.

1:56.  
From Starlight's trance-like state, her powers over time shot into the air via the machine and the real Staff of Jeria. Her eyes changed back to normal for a split second.

As Chaos Gun and Sombra fought, they weren't keeping an eye on Starlight's biometrics. The screen flickered for a moment then went back to normal, this time reading two life signs. One coming from Starlight's heart, the other from her stomach. Or her stomach area.

2:08.  
Bahamut snarled as he looked around the base of the machine, looking for the two fillies. They're quite elusive for kids.  
Fire Ruby and Goldie waited underneath a secluded pile of wood and scaffold, waiting for him to walk right into a cleverly placed trip-wire, right in front of a collapsed suit of armor with it's sword sticking up.  
Normally, Bahamut would sense something was off and try to figure where they are. But, since Sombra made the clones simple-minded and focused killing machines, he wasn't that smart.  
He tripped on the wire, staggered in his steps, and fell onto the sword. The blade pierced him though the neck, killing him instantly. Instead of a bloody and gory mess, the clone just exploded into dark mist. The mist quickly dispersed from existence.  
The two fillies emerged from their hiding spot and looked at each other. "that'll work." they both said.

Sora fired again at Peppy, Cotton, and Sym, nearly hitting the D.J. in the cheek.  
"Yisa, that's a close call!" Sym exclaimed.  
"Keep Running!" Peppy yelled.  
Sora reached back to grab another arrow but discovered she had run out. She threw the bow away and pulled out her short sword. She increased into a run.  
The trio ran past a falling arrow, which was missing it's tail. Cotton stopped near it, then back to the gaining Sora. That's when she came up with a wicked idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might to move the arrow with her magic. She wasn't the most potent magical user; she flat out sucked, but she was able to move it.  
"Cotton!" Peppy and Sym called out.  
With careful concentration, Cotton aimed the arrow at the clone and let it fly. The arrow flew as it normally would if fired by a bow. It struck Sora in her heart right though her breast. Upon hitting the vital organ, the copy exploded into dark mist.  
"nice aim." Peppy said. Cotton shrugged and murmured in agreement.

Jax fired a fireball at Daring, Bolt, Season, and Filigree. They all ducked and it missed. It struck the wall behind them, leaving a big scorch mark.  
"Yeesh!" Filigree exclaimed.  
Daring hit her hoof on a loose bar, getting it loose. She grabbed and pulled it out of the scaffold. At the same time, Bolt and Season launched a suicide charge, hoping one would land a hit.  
Jax flipped over them then kicked them in the backs. The kick sent them both to the floor. She rose her chakrams and summoned forth a lightning spell.. She brought them and… the metal pole stuck out of her stomach, stopping her attack. She looked back to see Filigree behind her, the other end of the pole in her hooves. And Jax just cast a lightning spell.  
Filigree jumped back just as the lightning spell struck the metal pole, electrocuting Jax and making her explode into dark mist.

Pound, Pumpkin, Eris Shine, and Erys ducked behind a couple of pillars. Ash put in a series of codes into his pistols via the gems encrusted onto the handles. He aimed and fired at the pillars endlessly. Each shot chipped a little bit away every time.  
"anyone got a plan?" Eris Shine asked.  
Erys and Pumpkin looked at each other and chuckled. "actually, we do."  
Ash continued firing, chipping the pillars away little by little. Eris and Pumpkin suddenly came out from behind and cast a barrier that protected them both. Ash re-aimed and fired at them.  
While the magic users had Ash distracted, Pound and Eris Shine grabbed a sword and flew at the gunslinger from behind. When Ash noticed them, it was too late. The sword was already plunged into his gut. He exploded into dark mist a few seconds later.

A downward slash from Satoshi separated Leon and Woona from Friction and Golden Day. Satoshi made the scythe extend as far as he could by holding onto the very end, and spun around like a Helicopter blade. The 2 groups ducked to keep their heads.  
"there's gotta be a better way of taking him out." Friction snarled. After a few frantic seconds of thinking, she came up with a good idea. Well, it wasn't good, but it was better then nothing. Leon came up with the same thing.  
They had to time it carefully. Even clones had to get dizzy. And Satoshi did. He stopped spinning and staggered widely. "Now!" both Changelings exclaimed. They fired at the ground beneath Satoshi. The following explosion sent Satoshi up into the air. It also made him lose the grip on his scythe, which flew up higher then him.  
The pilot landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. His scythe came down a few seconds later, slicing his own head off. He exploded into dark mist instantly.

Sweet Song, Soarin' Cloud, and Windancer flew as fast as they could away from Aura, who was quickly catching up to them. They flew around and around the machine, avoiding the electric currents surrounding it.  
"Geez! He doesn't quit!" Windancer panted.  
"I can't keep this up!" Sweet Song panted.  
Soarin' knew it too. They needed to lose this guy pronto. That's when he came up with a idea. He stopped in mid-flight. Aura saw him do that and flew harder to catch up. Soarin' zipped down, avoiding Aura and making him continue his pursuit of the mares.  
"SOARIN'!" they yelled. They did a complete circle around the machine, again.  
When they returned to where they lost Soarin', they saw him pulling back on one of the electric clubs. They flew past him, finally getting his plan.  
Soarin' waited a few seconds, making the club creak. After those seconds, he let the club go. It hit Aura square in the face, making him explode in dark mist which washed all over him.  
"ARGH! Hope this washes off."

Glade's Soldiers fired magic attack after magic attack at Requiem, and the Pegasi flew right at her. She blocked the attacks effortlessly and kicked all 4 fliers out of the way.  
Eris used her powers over chaos to summon a 400 ton anvil, hoping it would buy them time to think of a plan.  
It bought them 2 seconds.  
Requiem swung her sword easily, cutting though the anvil like it was butter. The top half slide off and crashed in front of the Draconequus. "I should have a talk with ACME about this."  
Requiem walked over to the little welp, ready to put her out of commission when Marian stepped in. she fired a magic blast at Requiem powerful enough to make her stop and block it. Unfortunately, that powerful 10 second blast took a lot out of Marian. She collapsed and panted heavily. Req took advantage of this and strode on over, spinning her sword.  
Least that was her plan.  
A sudden pain from her nether regions caused her to look down to see a sword right below her… eh… well, you know. She looked back to see Screw Loose holding a sword. "This is for hurting my Coltfriend, you bitch!"  
She slashed the blade upward, cutting though Requiem's entire body. Instead of blood, dark mist poured out. Requiem, the goddess, exploded into dark mist soon after.

3:42.  
Bass returned to the scene with a pair of rubber gloves. True to his suspicions, there were a pair of gloves lying around. He didn't expect them to be in the kitchen, though.  
He climbed up the catwalk back to the Staff of Jeria. "Okay. Okay. How do I do this?" His thoughts were cut short when Chaos Gun fell by the machine and crashed into the ground with a dark explosion.  
"Chaos!" Sweet Song exclaimed, running over to him.  
Bass had to work fast and he knew it. He reached the catwalk closest to the staff and ran over to the opening. Electricity sparked out of the staff, some nearly striking Bass in the head.  
Even with rubber gloves, dealing with electricity can be dangerous. Especially for someone who doesn't know what the hell he's doing. He shrugged and said 'fuck it' then dove his hoofs right into the electrical current.

Sombra walked to the edge of the gaping maw the machine had made during it's ascent. He sees that his clones had failed as they were nowhere to be seen. That's the price one pays for dealing with mindless copies.  
"GRAH!"  
That yelled made Sombra look down even further and saw Bass trying to pull out the Staff. "NO!"

A electrical pulse knocked Bass off his feet. With a snarl, he quickly got up and went to try and take it out. Another pulse hit, sending him backing into a guard rail. It knocked the wind out of him.  
He shook his head and kept trying. He was not about to give up on Starlight now, or ever.  
With one last push, he was able to penetrate the electrical barrier. With a whimsical scoff, he reached it further, inching closer and closer to the staff.  
"Come on! Come on!"  
He stretched his hooves as best he could. With a few attempts, Bass reached the staff and grabbed it. "YES!" he put his fore hooves on the machine and started to pull it out. The current offered heavy resistance but, slowly and surely, he was pulling it out.

4:24.  
Sombra suddenly jumped down from above and blasted Bass with his own magic. The attack hit the earth pony in the chest, sending him screaming though the air and rolling to a halt far from the machine.  
"I will not…" Sombra shoved the staff back into place. "… wreck what took me…" using the copy staff, the Dark Unicorn wrapped Bass in a magic whip and floating him up into the air. "…2 decades to achieve!"  
He spun around and swung the staff down. Bass yelled as he was pulled though the air and slammed into the other side of the catwalk. "You will not wreck this…" Sombra swung around again, sending Bass into the wall. "You Miserable…" he swung again, this time sending Bass into the air 50 feet, then back down to earth, crashing back down onto the Catwalk. "Little…" a pulse of energy made it's way though the magic whip, shocking Bass to the spine. "NOBODY!" with one last swing, Sombra sent Bass into the machine. The pony yelled in pain as he was electrocuted.  
Certain that the pony was at least comatose, Sombra swung around and brought Bass back onto the Catwalk. He landed, hard, and skidded to a halt, hitting his back on the guard rails. Bass, smoldering all over, struggled to get up. "You are just a nobody!" Sombra snarled. "stay down if you know what's good for you!"  
Bass ignored him and continued to get up. "A nobody?" he said with a cough. "funny. I seem to remember this nobody shacking up with your daughter."  
Sombra's anger reached a new high. With a roar, he aimed the staff and fired. The blast missed Bass on purpose, as it was to distract him.

5:10.  
Sombra charged at the earth pony with inhuman speed. With one quick motion, he stabbed Bass in the chest, stopping just inches away from his heart.  
Sombra lifted the stunned stallion into the air, blood dripping out and onto Sombra's face. "DIE!" he yelled. He swung the staff to the left. Bass was tossed off the staff.  
He crashed into the ground and rolled to a halt near the group. "Bass." they all yelled. Bass held his chest in pain as blood seeped out.

5:21.  
A blast of magic came from above. Sombra descended from the skies with a scary snarl.  
"You! Miserable little rejects of flesh! You would destroy what I worked 20 years to achieve! What took careful planning and timing! And all for what; some girl who doesn't want to live anymore, anyways!"  
Shadows and fire spiraled around the dark Unicorn. His eyes glowed blood red. The copy staff was tossed to the ground. He didn't need it for this. "I WILL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER!"  
A inhuman roar emanated from the shadows and fire. They completely wrapped around the pony. The fire and shadow's combined, turning it into dark fire.  
A pair of red, green, and purple eyes appeared in the center of the blaze, followed by a demonic growl. Seems Ambrose was Sombra after all, they concluded.  
"DIE!" Shadow Sombra yelled at the top of his lungs. He reared back and got ready to engulf and kill them.

5:51. End Song And Begin Song: watch?v=h7eXKsZv2gI Ibitsu (TV size version) - Tales of Symphonia OVA soundtrack.

0:00.

Epic Freeze-Frame of Shadow Sombra getting ready to kill Bass and the others.

To Be Concluded…

0:20.  
The final battle is upon them.

Sombra has taken Starlight captive and is using her for his dark, sinister purposes.

Will Starlight's friends be able to save her in time, or will Sombra's, Orochi's, and Tsylatac's plan fall though.

Find out in the final chapter of the story, as well as the final chapter for this Crossover Series; Starlight, Starbright.

0:50.  
Anime Stills appear, showcasing the battles they had fought.

Baltimare: Starlight and Bass ran for their lives from Chaos Gun, Glade, and the Baltimare police.

The Wyrm Pass: the group doing battle with the giant crimson Wyrm Volvagia. Chaos Gun has his horn glowing bright, reading to kill him.

The Arctic: the Windigoes encircling the group, picking them off one by one. Goldie being slammed into the ground by one and Starlight going ballistic.

The Arctic: Marian being possessed by Nightmare Moon, effectively turning her into Nightmare Marian. A pulse of magic shot out of her, sending them all to their knees.

The Leopard Village: the Timberwolf attack. Starlight used her magic to send the pack leader back in time and causing the large one to disintegrate.

Approach to the Castle: Oscurita Clone and Starlight facing each other down. The group was under fire rubble, leaving them inexposed. Starlight unlocked her full powers and blasted the dragon to kingdom come.

Showdown with the Lord of Shadows: Shadow Sombra getting ready to kill Bass and the others.

A pair of green eyes with red iris' and purple fire coming out the sides opened up. But whose were they, Sombra's or Starlights?

1:31. End Song.


	43. Starlight, Starbright

Begin Song: watch?v=R2s_aH67nTY Dark Star - The Slayers Try Soundtrack

0:00.  
The beam from the giant Tesla Coil shot up into the air, tearing a hole in the sky, a hole leading directly to the past. The beam originated from the now ruined castle of Sombra, who had finally revealed his true colors.  
Starlight, the focus of this little war between Sombra and her friends, is floating in a trance inside a glass sphere filled with water. The machine, combined with the Staff of Jeria, kicked her powers up 100-fold.

0:22.  
Sombra roared as fire and shadow spiraled around him. Below, everyone took cover, bracing themselves against the violent wind generated by the Dark Unicorn.  
"What Shadows come and what Shadows may, I am their progeny…"  
The fires and shadows completely covered Sombra, cocooning him inside it those elements.  
Before, a fight with the clones of the humans that visited; Requiem, Jax, Bahamut, and the rest, left them all tired and wounded. it left Chaos Gun, Glade, and Bass critically injured.  
"What Hell to await me and what life to receive me, I know not…  
The fire and shadows combined, turning into the dark fire monster from the Leopard Village. A pair of green eyes with red, reptilian iris' and purple fire coming out of the edges opened wide.  
Shadow Sombra roared loudly into the sky, causing all of them to cover their ears. Dark arms formed out of the dark fire.  
"but to be the epitaph of such power, I shall be…"

0:54.  
Shadow Sombra roared again, this time sending out a little shockwave. The wave flattened everyone to the ground, making it almost impossible to move.  
"Damn Him!" Bolt snarled.  
"He's so powerful, I can hardly move!" Leon snarled.  
Though they were conscious, Chaos, Glade, and Bass could hardly move. Chaos was beaten to a pulp by Sombra, Glade had his ass kicked by Requiem's clone, and Bass got stabbed in the chest by Sombra, just inches from his heart. That's not stopping them from trying to get up.

1:15.  
Shadow Sombra fired a shockwave of shadow at them. It washed over them all, knocking them even further into the ground. So much so, they left indents.  
Shadow Sombra's arms picked up Leon, Friction, Daring, and Bolt. With a snarl, followed by a loud roar, he slammed the 4 of them into the ceiling and left them there.  
A few seconds later, the 4 of them fell on their own to the ground, which they hit hard. The ceiling crumbled and fell on top of them, trapping them.  
"Aunt Daring!" Windancer exclaimed. Shadow Sombra roared, getting her attention again.  
"We got bigger things to worry about, Windancer!" Marian said, trying to keep her hat from flying.  
Both hands formed into fists. He punched the ground, sending out a explosive shockwave that took out Glade's Soldiers. It sent the 7 of them rolling out of the ruined castle and into the snow.  
"No!" Glade exclaimed.

1:47.  
Shadow Sombra roared again, causing dark winds to rip though the remains to the audience hall.  
"I shall be… the Arbiter of this World's Destruction…"

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Final Chapter

Starlight, Starbright

2:10. End Song

A slight breeze was all she heard. It blew by her ears, making them twitch. That's what woke her up. Starlight stirred and opened her eyes to see herself floating, but not in the glass sphere, but on a ethereal plane. She got up rightside, feeling a bit groggy.  
"Ugh… where… where am I?"  
She got up and looked around. There was nothing for miles. Just a ethereal plane. How she knows what it looks like is a mystery to her. "Hello!"  
"hello, Starlight."  
that voice caught Starlight off guard. It was the same voice from before; that told her she had a destiny. A bright light shone behind her. Starlight looked to see a pony walk out of it. "It's been a long while." the mare said.  
Starlight waited for the light to disappear before getting a good look on the mare. She was a Alicorn like her, but with a pure white body with a red mane. "who are you?" Starlight asked.  
The mare smiled and walked by her. "Someone who's been watching this world for a long while; ever since it's creation. Guiding it, watching as it went though changes... so many violent changes."  
Starlight looked at the mare, trying to figure out who she was. Wait, back then… "You called me your daughter. I recognize your voice." the mare lightly chuckled. "why did you say that?"  
The mare again chuckled. "I can everyone on Equestria my children; Ponies, Dragons, Diamond Dogs- everyone."  
Everyone? Then she must be… Certain she go who it was down, Starlight walked over to her. "So… why are you talking to me?"  
The red haired mare stopped for a moment. Starlight wondered why she did that and walked over to her. Once Starlight was next to her, the mare talked. "Your father has a important role to play in a deadly conflict that stretches far beyond the confides of our world. Of any world."  
"my dad?" Starlight asked in disbelief. This mare must be joking. "the Stallion who locked my up in a glass sphere and is right now killing my friends and using me to rip a hole in time and space has a role to play in some conflict in the future, er, the past- ugh, you know what I mean! he has a role to play?"  
The mare looked to the skeptical Alicorn and nodded. "yes. Unfortunately, that's all I know. Whether it's good or bad, I don't know. I just know he has a important role to play."  
Starlight scoffed, finding this to be a big joke. "yeah, sure. And I'm gonna be a princess." Starlight sat down and sighed. "besides… why should I care? Everyone wants to use me; my Dad, my Aunt and my Mom… even my friends…"  
The Mare lightly chuckled. "now… I'm afraid that's not true."  
"And how would you know?"  
The mare gestured to herself. "I know, see, and feel all. Trust me, your friends care about you. Why else would they come back and risk their lives to save you?"  
"because they feel sorry for me. Because I'm a Alicorn. Because I can use time. There's a number of reasons why'd they come back. They just hung out with me out of sympathy."  
"initially, yes. But as the years passed, they loved you for you. Take Bass for example. He never saw you as a Alicorn or a vessel of time. He saw you for you. That's the Starlight he fell in love with. Isn't that why you fell in love with him; because he was genuine?"  
Starlight stayed silent for a second. "… okay. I'll give you that. But what about my dad? Or my Aunt and my Mom?"  
"Celestia and Twilight were strict because they didn't want you in any danger. You having power over time was a new thing to the world and they were taking precautions. And your father is feeling guilty for having to put you though this. As evil as he is, inside he has a soft spot."  
Starlight wasn't going to argue with her, if she is who Star think's she is. That leaves just one question. "why… why do I have powers over time? Why am I a Alicorn?"  
The Mare, knowing that Starlight would ask these questions, pulled up the video of Tsylatac using the pocket watch on Twilight, who was pregnant with Starlight at the time. "Your powers over time came from that pocket watch. It belonged to someone who that knight took it from."  
That watch… Sombra gave it to her. It's currently with her person back in the castle. "and the Alicorn… well, you can't obtain such mighty powers without a proper body. Originally, you were supposed to be a Unicorn as powerful as your mother. Now, you're a Alicorn, a mighty species that few can dream of obtaining."  
Starlight still views it as a curse. She wanted a normal life, not this crap. "I don't know…" she then remembered all the images she saw, of her mother becoming a princess and those odd humans. "um… one last question. Was my mom supposed to become a princess? And, those humans I saw, who were they?"  
The Mare thought for a moment, noticeable by how her eyes moved. "your mother was supposed to become a princess. She had a destiny planned by Celestia that became derailed when a number of events that weren't supposed to happen happened.. The most notable were the interference from the other-worldy forces. If those 2, Orochi and Tsylatac, hadn't arrived, things would've been different. Requiem and her friends would've just watched the events unfold."  
"So… this is like a Alternate Universe thing?"  
The mare nodded. "and those people you saw; Glade, Jade, Molin, and Skeith? They're to have roles to play in the future as well. In fact, your father will be the reason why they come into play with what happens in this universe."  
This Universe… then they are in alternates as well? That means whatever's going to happen… it's gonna be big. What did Sombra get himself into? "so… what are you to do, Starlight? Help your father with his plans, or let the universe crumble?"  
All this hurt her head, which is understandable for her. All this talk of Alternate Universe's and larger roles… it's all mind-boggling. But she had to focus on the here and now; and that's saving her friends. They were her reason she endured 17 years of this; 17 years of personal torture. They were her reason for living and she was not going to let her family die. "Starlight?"  
Starlight finally replied. "I am not going to let him kill my friends! He may live or not to do whatever plan the universe has. That's something fate has to decide, but I am going to stop him!"  
The Mare nodded with a slight smile. "I'll help you get out of that sphere, but you're on your own after that."  
"I know." the Mare spread her wings, causing a bright light to shine and cover them both. "And thanks for the talk… Faust…"  
Faust looked to her in surprise, shocked that she figured it out so quickly. "and good luck. To the 4 of you."  
Starlight nodded, then stopped and lowered a eyebrow in confusion. "wait, the 4 of us?" the light blinded her before she could ask the question.

Shadow Sombra laughed like a evil madman, glad to see that these insolent insects are down for the count.  
Bass managed to open one eye and looked up at the top of the machine. If he was going to die, he wanted to see Starlight one final time.  
"HAHAHAHA! You can't stop me! Nobody can!" Sombra boasted. "Soon, you'll be dead and me and Starlight will be long gone! Hahahahaha!"  
Everyone tried to get up but couldn't. Sombra kicked their butts good.  
Suddenly, the sphere began to shine brighter then it should've. "What?" the sudden bright light caused Shadow Sombra to fade away, making plain ol' Sombra come back. He reappeared in mid-air. He quickly turned his cape into wings and flapped them to stay aloft. "What's going on?"  
Sparkles floated down from above, each one looking like a distant star in the sky. The sparkles fell onto the pain stricken ponies and revived them. Their wounds closed and healed, broken bones are put back together, and everyone felt refreshed. Goldie's wings, unfortunately, were not healed, having been broken and maimed for too long for this to help it.  
Bass held his wound, blood still dripping out. When the sparkles fell, the wound instantly healed. He took a deep breath and coughed up blood. He could move again without pain. "ugh… what?"  
Glade grunted as he got up on all four's. "where is all this coming from?"  
Bolt shoved a bit of rubble off of him and coughed. "Ugh…" a sparkle landed on his beak. He snorted and sneezed it off.  
Sombra snarled, baring his teeth. Where were these sparkles coming from? And why were they healing everyone. "what is this? Whoever's casting this, stop it or else…" he used his magic to pulled Goldie to him. "Or else this Pegasus gets it."  
Goldie struggled to get loose of his grip. Sombra tightened it and pointed his spear at her neck.

A sudden magic blast hit Sombra, making him let go of Goldie. The filly screamed as she fell. She was quickly caught by Season.  
Sombra quickly regained himself and groaned. "You touch one hair on her head and you're a dead man!" a very familiar voice rang. Another magic blast hit Sombra, this time sending him to the ground. Sombra cast a barrier spell and stopped the bolt just inches away from the ground.  
"Who dares?!" he yelled.  
"Who do you think?" Starlight descended from the sky, angry as all hell to him.  
Sombra went wide-eyed out of surprise and fear. Her friends all cheered. "Starlight!" they all happily exclaimed.  
Sombra snarled and looked to his machine. The sphere wasn't broken, so how did she escape? Since Starlight was out, the machine wasn't operating at peak capacity. However, the mare was in there long enough to leave a big enough magical imprint for the machine to work with. It was working at 25% capacity but it still tore a hole in the sky. It just shrunk.  
Sombra snapped. He doesn't care about the rest of the plan. They can transfer the powers to another subject. "GET HER!" he yelled.  
The shadows surrounding the machine stirred and broke away.  
Starlight scoffed. "you could've given me a challenge." she said. Her eyes went green, red, and purple, just like dear ol' pop.  
Starlight flapped her wings once, sending out a gust of air. Trick is, this gust was magically powered. The wind tore though the shadows, disintegrating them. Upon their destruction, the shadows instantly returned to their owners.  
"Impossible!" Sombra snarled. "How were you able to do that?"  
"I'm your daughter. I figure some things are genetic. You gave me these eyes; why not a little manipulation over shadows? Besides, I'm a Alicorn. We're always over-powered. Or did you forget that already?"  
Goldie laughed at the smart-alecky remark. "when'd she become a smartaleck?" Woona commented.  
Sombra snarled angrily, nearly busting his teeth. This is not a part of the plan. There's absolutely no way she should've been able to get out. It was unbreakable glass. And she was in a trance. How the hell is she able to stand here now? There's no conceivable way. Unless… unless she had help from someone powerful. But nobodies' that powerful, not even Alicorns… unless it wasn't someone on this realm of existence.  
Starlight descended and landed on the ruined stone. "Dad… please stop this. There's no need to go on like this. It's over."  
Sombra's eye twitched. "over?" he looked down, trying to prevent his anger from bursting out. darkness, not his own, seeped out of him. "this took me 20 years to achieve. This took forever to come to fruition!" he looked up at her, eyes glowing red. "You! Malice! Tulip! Everyone! You all kept getting in my way! Could never let me achieve anything!"  
Malice? Tulip? Starlight didn't recognize those names. They must've been the foals who tortured him when he was a colt himself. That confirmed it. He was doing this out of hatred and pent up rage towards his old 'friends'. something she's glad didn't happen to her. "Dad… it's over. Please stop. For you sake."  
The group, not sure what's really going on, really hope he takes her advice. They've been though one hellish fight with him, they don't want to go though another.  
Sombra snarled, his anger reaching a boiling point. He reared his head back and roared like a monster.

Begin Song: watch?v=k8IwuYQ99bc Rebel Against Destiny - Tales of Destiny OST

Darkness shot out of him like bullet's out of a gun, spreading everywhere. It washed over the ponies, leaving them dark-less. Sombra, now completely taken over, roared again, the darkness forming into wings, and took to the air.  
Starlight, waiting until the darkness had cleared, looked up. "Dammit, Dad…" she softly said to herself. She looked to her friends. They looked back and nodded, each ready to do their part.  
This is it. Their final battle. Against a opponent they didn't see coming: Starlight's own father.  
With a steeled heart, Starlight flapped her wings and took off after Sombra. The rest of the Alicorn's and Pegasi followed suit. The Earth Ponies and Unicorns went to the catwalk access to find a way up to the roof.  
Bolt was too busy getting the rubble off of Daring, Leon, and Friction to go help and the guards were still out cold. Besides, even if they could fight, they wouldn't. this was their moment and he wasn't going to interfere.

A screaming streak of darkness shot out of the castle and into the air. It flapped it's dark demonic wings, making a beeline for the portal.  
A magic whip wrapped around Sombra's hind legs and pulled him down. More whips joined in and helped pull him further. The now Mad Unicorn looked down to see the Alicorns pulling him down. With one last tug, they did, making him hit the ceiling.  
The dark wings went away but the aura remained. Whatever darkness this is was still controlling him. "Sombra…" Glade started, "You are under arrest for kidnapping a member of the Royal Family, conspiring in crimes against Equestria, and working with a known Threat!"  
Arrest? This poor excuse for a stallion must be joking. Sombra roared, sending spears of darkness towards him. Glade and Chaos quickly brought up a shield to protect them. The spears hit and disintegrated.  
Soarin' and Season flew around back. They rammed into the Dark Stallion from the back, making it bend in a way that shouldn't be done for ponies. The sudden attacked propelled Sombra forward, right into Chaos' fist, or the pony equivilate. One well placed shot to the lower jaw caught Sombra off guard and sent him up into the air.  
Sombra quickly corrected, summoned the dark wings, and fired a powerful magic beam at the troupe. Starlight retaliated by firing her own. Erys and Woona threw in their own magic to assist. It was enough to stop his attack but not enough to reverse it. Chaos and Glade couldn't help cause they launched their own offensive. They collectively slammed into his gut, trying to knock the wind out of him. Unlike last time, Sombra saw it coming and braced for it. With a evil grin, a shockwave shot out of him, sending the two falling.  
During the climb up to the roof, Eris snapped her fingers. This summoned a 500 ton anvil that dropped on Sombra. He snarled with a scoff and blasted it. The Draconequus' creation blew up in a violent display. "eep."  
"You're gonna have to do better then that to defeat me!" the Dark Stallion said in a inhuman voice. Starlight took notice of that. Something is clearly wrong here and she needs to do something about it.  
Sombra powered up and fired a intense magical beam. It split off into 5 smaller beams and struck all the Alicorns. It didn't hurt them but it sent them flying back a bit.  
Golden Day and Windancer attacked from both sides, tying Sombra with a rope. They wrapped it around him and pulled it tight. No way he's gonna get out of this… for about 2 seconds.  
The rope instantly disintegrated as soon as it touched his skin, making that a waste of time. "Un… hehe…" Windancer gulped out of fear. Sombra yelled and fired a beam at her. It hit her, sending her rolling.  
"you're gonna pay for that!" Marian snarled as she and the others reached the top. Using her magic, she grabbed a sizeable brick and swung it at him. It hit, sending him spinning in his fall.  
Goldie, Fire Ruby, and Filigree resorted to throwing whatever big bricks they could find at him, as they could not use magic. To a degree. Filigree lit one on fire with her breath and bucked it to him. It hit him in the chest, leaving a noticeable bruise.  
Sombra growled with evil intent. "Damn them!" he snarled though his teeth. He looked to Starlight, then to the portal. He'd never make it with all these nuisances. He returned his attention to his daughter. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!" he reared back then fired a powerful intense beam at Starlight.  
It didn't reach her.  
Bass slammed into Sombra from the side, distracting him and making the spell fall short. The two fell though the hole in the ceiling and down onto the catwalk. Déjà vu all over again. This time went different.  
Starlight blasted Sombra from behind then wrapped a magic whip around his neck. Bass charged at him then bucked him in the chest. More magic blasts came down from above, supplied by her friends. This monster is going down, slowly or quickly.  
The Staff of Jeria stirred, then shot out of the machine and into his hooves. "ENOUGH!"

End Song.

Dark tendrils shot out of the staff, piercing everyone though the shoulder and wrapping around their necks. The tendrils then lifted everyone off the ground and a few inches into the air.

Begin Song: watch?v=0ViDPWCcwmg Love Conquers All (Orchestrated and Extended) - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Soundtrack

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" Sombra loudly yelled. He swung the staff forward, towards the open spot in all the destruction, swinging everyone with it. They all yelled when they hit the floor. Hard.  
Sombra broke the tendrils and flew down, taking off with a frightful force. He landed on the ground, causing a small yet very noticeable boom. "You… you all are nothing! Nothing but insects! Insects that need to be squashed!" he swung the staff again. The staff summoned magical hammers that slammed into each one of them. "Now just lie there and die!"  
Sombra turned and walked away from them. A magic blast hit him behind the head, making him stumble. He looked back in boiling anger to see that Starlight did that. She is equally mad, but to him being the insane man he is.  
"Dad… I asked you nicely to give up this insane quest of yours and you didn't listen! I tried to get though to you but you didn't listen. So… so I'm gonna try one more time. Please. Give this up. You can still redeem yourself what you've done! Maybe… maybe change the past right now, eh?"  
Sombra scoffed. He lightly chuckled then angrily pointed the spear towards her. "change the past? Nothing can change the past; it's set in stone. What I plan to do will change the world's future and make those imbeciles see what happens when they mess with me! They will pay for what they did to me! And this world will be mine!"  
Starlight shook her head 'no'. "No, dad. Even the most insane tasks, even the most mind-boggling journeys to find…" she stopped, realizing that that last part was about her. "…to find yourself… it helps to have friends."  
Sombra scoffed. "Friends? Friends are nothing but a hindrance! Friends do nothing but hold you back and betray you when you need them most!"  
Starlight shook her head again. "That's not true. Friends can help you though the most difficult of times, can help you though thick and thin. And… can be a loving support. You never experienced that because you never had friends like mine; friends who don't care who or what you are."  
She looked back to her friends, who smiled and nodded. "Mom told me that meeting her friends were the best moments of her life and she would never give them up for anything. And I agree with her. I wouldn't give up my friends… my family… for anything in the world; not gold, not power. And definitely not some stupid attempt to travel though time."  
"That's right!" Goldie said, chiming in. "my and Fire Ruby, we've been though heck trying to find our Cutie Marks. And though that, we've become great friends like you wouldn't believe."  
"And when Soarin' came to help us get the crop in for the winter when we didn't have time," Peppy added. "we were once rivals to see who was the best competitively, now we're the very best of friends. And more."  
"and when I came to Ponyville to visit with Mom," Erys said. "it was Pound and Pumpkin who warmed up to me and became my friends. They saw me for who I was; a normal, loveable pony."  
"And Chaos Gun, the pony who tried to kill us over and over? Turns out he's a kind-hearted soul." Sweet Song said. Chaos nodded in agreement.  
"and if Starlight hadn't come to Baltimare on her way here…" Bass walked up to her and grabbed her hoof. "… then I would've missed out on one heck of a adventure. And the best thing to come into my life."  
Starlight happily looked at him. Those were all good examples. Hopefully, Sombra would get that though his head. "You see, Dad? Friends can come from anywhere and help you though anything. You had crummy friends when you were a kid, sure, but that doesn't mean you can't make new ones now. Just… just give up this hellish plan. Please?"  
All of this didn't get though to him. Sombra was too far gone. He just snarled, looking at them like he wanted to kill them. He did want to kill them. With a yell, he grabbed the staff and charged at them.  
Bad guys never listen to reason. Starlight powered up her magic and blasted him away. Sombra fell back and landed on the electrical currents of the machine, electrocuting him but not killing him. Sombra fell to the floor, steam hissing off his back. He got up with a snarl and charged at them again.  
Starlight closed her eyes and concentrated. All her friends did the same.  
A warm pink glyph shaped like a pocket-watch appeared beneath them all, glowing and sending sparkles into the air. A shockwave shot out. It hit Sombra and any fallen rubble and made them float in mid-air.  
"What? What is this?" Sombra exclaimed.  
The shockwave got the rubble off of Daring, Leon, and Friction. Bolt quickly helped them up. A second shockwave went out, this time causing the castle to rumble.  
"What are you doing?!" Sombra yelled to them.  
"Showing you…" Starlight opened her eyes. "what true power is!"  
A third shockwave shot out, and this one was the kicker. The castle instantly came apart into individual bricks. The stones begun to spin around and around and around, like a tornado of rock.  
"No! Stop this!"  
The tornado spun to feverish speeds that would make a NASCAR driver queasy. The glyph glowed bright, as did Starlight's eyes. Star flapped her wings, sending a powerful blast towards Sombra.  
"No! NOOO!" the blast hit him, taking him out of view.

The blast made the stones and brick stretch out, covering the entire valley. It then collapsed on itself, bringing the brick with it. A few seconds later, it exploded out, causing a big pink dome-like explosion.  
A beam of light shot from the dome and towards the portal. It struck it, causing the hole to collapse in on itself. Before it closed completely, a small twinkle of light came from within.  
The hole closed completely, bringing this threat to Equestria to it's end.

End Song.

It seemed like hours, or even days when Starlight woke up. She groaned and stirred as she opened her eyes. "…" she shook her head and got up. Upon doing it, she saw the aftermath of her attack.  
The castle was completely destroyed. Nothing remains of it except for brick and rubble spread all over the place. The machine was completely destroyed. Nothing of it remained. Nothing except the Staff of Jeria, which laid at Starlight's feet. She reached down and picked it up as the rest of her friends began to wake up.  
"Ugh… did we win?" Goldie groggily asked.  
Starlight looked back to her and smiled. She forgot the staff, walked over, and picked her up and put her on her back. "Yeah. We won. It's finally over."  
Goldie happily sighed and rest her head on Starlight's neck. "good. I'm beat."  
Glade walked over and picked up the Staff. He noticed something off about it. "wait… this is the fake."  
"The fake?" Star and Goldie glanced at each other. "Does that mean the real one is…"  
"likely destroyed. Along with that dastard Sombra."  
"Good. He was a mean man." Cotton said. She sat down and rubbed her hooves. "So… what's for lunch?" everyone gave her a mean look. "right. Too soon."  
Sweet Song sighed and sat down as well. "I just can't wait to get home. This has worn me down good."  
"Agreed." Chaos said.  
Glade looked to the staff. Well… Aunt Celestia doesn't need to know it's a fake. Right?  
"Holy… you guys killed him!" Friction gasped, looking at the damage.  
"That… was… awesome!" Daring exclaimed, laughing at the stunt they pulled. "Death by friendship. That's a first."  
Windancer chuckled. "If you say so, Aunt Daring." she sighed and leaned on Marian. "I'm just glad this is over."  
Sym looked at the damage they caused and took a step. It stepped on something odd. He looked down and yelled. "HOLY BEJESUS!"  
He had stepped on Sombra, or what was left of him. All that was left was his right eye and his mouth. The rest was composed out of shadow. "Damn. We messed him up good." Screw Loose said.  
Sombra opened his eye and roared out of his mouth, scaring them all. He panted heavily as his eye moved all around. "What did you do to me?!" he snarled, still as evil as ever.  
A jar quickly closed on him. The baby Draconequus grabbed it and screwed the top on tight. "locked you up, for starters." Eris said with a smirk.  
Starlight walked over and looked at him. "You left me no other choice, Dad. I had to stop you but I couldn't kill you. Hopefully, some time alone will make you see the errors of your ways."  
Sombra scoffed and looked away. Glade grabbed the jar and tossed it to his men. "keep a close eye on him."  
"Yes sir!" they all said.  
Fire Ruby yawned loudly. "Can we go home now?"  
Starlight chuckled. "Yeah. I've had enough of this place to last a lifetime." the group nodded and headed away from the place, ready to head home. Starlight took a step and heard the sound of broken glass beneath her. She looked to see that she stepped on a picture. She used her magic to pull it up.  
It showed Sombra when he was a colt and they must've been his friends. There was writing on the bottom but the frame made it impossible to see. Starlight took the picture out and tossed the frame away. The writing said 'Sombra and Tulip, Best Friends Forever.' Tulip… that was one of the names he mentioned. Hmm… maybe she can help him. If she's still alive.  
Starlight put the picture away and walked after them. She still had something else to think about. And that was what to do with her powers. She used her magic to bring out the pocket watch. This was the source of her powers over time and as long as she had it, bad people will always come after her until the day she dies. Ugh, this was gonna be tough.

Pinkie burst into the library, carrying a new letter. "THEY'RE COMIING HOME! THEY'RE COMIGN HOME!" She cheered.  
"they're what?" Twilight and Halo said as they got up and walked over.  
"Yeah. It's short but it's to the point. They're coming home in a few days!" Pinkie cheered again. "With Starlight!"  
Twilight and Halo looked at each other, then evilly snickered. "Pinkie… think you can throw one hell of a Welcome Home party?"  
Pinkie happily gasped, then cheered again. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! OF COURSE, I CAN!" she hopped off, eager to see her daughter again.

The group returned to Baltimare and cracked their backs. "Finally! Baltimare!" Eris Shine exclaimed.  
Starlight chuckled. This was where she had the most fun during her trip. And where she met Bass. The two looked at each other with such warm and loving eyes, it was almost sickening. Baltimare was a turning point in their journey. And they were glad.  
They were at first.  
"BASS!"  
Rita, Cliff, and Meryl came out of nowhere and dog-piled on the unsuspecting pony. Cliff laughed and gave Bass a noggie. "Oh, it is you! Oh, Bass! You loveable pony you!" Meryl laughed.  
Starlight laughed at the sight of Bass's embarrassment. "you know them?" Windancer asked.  
"Yeah. Friends of Bass'." Starlight explained.  
Bass yelled and was able to get out of the dog-pile. "haha. It's good to see you guys too." he happily said. "You guys remember Starlight, right?"  
"Starlight!" they cheered.  
"they remember." she commented.  
"So, what happened? You find your dad?" Rita asked.  
"Was it fun? Did you all have lots of exiting adventures?" Cliff asked.  
"you two hitch up?" Meryl chuckled.  
Bass and Starlight looked at each other and chuckled. "Yes, yes, and yes." Starlight said.  
Cliff wrapped his arm around Bass. "hey, Lucky you, Bass. Hitching up with a Alicorn. That's good pickin's."  
"Hey! I didn't hook up with her because she was a Alicorn. I hooked up with her because I love her."  
"OOOH!" Meryl and Rita went.  
Big city girls. They'll go 'ooh' at anything.

The group arrived at Baltimare station, which was a direct line to the port 3 miles away. "Yay! We're almost home!" Cotton happily exclaimed.  
"I can't wait for you to meet my mom." Starlight said. "she's a bit of a bookworm but you'll learn to like her. And I'm certain you'll like Ponyville as well."  
Ponyville… all the way there. Bass stopped walking and stood there. Star saw this and looked back. "Bass?"  
"Something wrong, Twilight?" Glade asked.  
She wasn't sure if something was wrong or not. "no… it's nothing." she hesitantly said. "you guys get on the train. I'll go have a chat with him."  
"Don't wait too long." Marian said as they made their way to the railway.  
"What's wrong?" Starlight asked Bass.  
"Um…. I-I'm not going to Ponyville."  
"What?" she asked in surprise. "why?"  
"Because… because I can't leave this place." he looked back to the city. "Baltimare is my home. All my friends are here. I was born and raised here. And I've been to Ponyville before. Not exactly my cup of tea."  
"So, what? You're not coming?"  
"no. this town is in a rough time and I feel like I can help. You know?"  
She partly knew. "but… you helped me."  
"Because you needed it. And though that decision, I have the best marefriend I guy could ask for. But… but I just can't leave my friends."  
Starlight partly understood. Leaving her friends to find her dad was the hardest choice she ever made. "so... Are we breaking up?"  
"Faust, I hope not. We'll keep up with letters and the like. And maybe, once things have calmed down here, I'll come visit."  
Starlight didn't like it. She really didn't. but being loyal to his first friends and his city… reminds her a lot about Aunt Rainbow Dash. "You know long-distance relationships never work, right?"  
"Doesn't mean we can't try. … here." he reached back and pulled out a necklace from his saddle-bags. "This was my mothers. I want you to hold onto it."  
His mother's necklace… he must really care about her if he's giving her something this important. "Thanks, Bass."  
Bass leaned in and kissed her. It was a somber kiss, like Starlight was losing something very important. He broke it and smiled. "see you later… sweetheart…" Bass turned and headed back to the city.  
Starlight just stood there, then she looked at the necklace. "Bass…" she put the necklace into her saddlebags and walked to the train. Her friends watched this little scene unfold and felt sorry for her.  
When Starlight came onboard, Marian went to comfort her. "are you okay, Starlight?"  
She looked away from her friend then sighed. "Yeah. We didn't break up. He just couldn't leave Baltimare or his friends."  
"but… we're his friends." Goldie said.  
"but we weren't his first." Star said as she sat down. "and he's very loyal to his friends and to Baltimare. He couldn't leave them behind."  
"oh…" her friends all looked at each other with somber faces. "how do you feel?"  
Starlight took a deep breath and sighed. "not great. I understand what he's going though; leaving Ponyville and all of you was the toughest choice I had to make, but I don't like it." she pulled out the necklace and sighed.

Shadow saw puffs of smoke over the horizon. He smiled wide then jumped down from the top of the library. "I see the train! They're coming!"  
He landed and headed for the group, which has a surprise party planned at Octavia's and Vinyl's club, Electronic Symphony, which they named after their son. "You remember to place the note, eTu`nes?" Twilight asked.  
"Yep. And clear as day, too."  
"Great! This is going to be the best welcome home party ever!" Pinkie exclaimed as she can.

The train rolled into Ponyville station and hissed to a halt. The group walked off and headed for the exit.  
Starlight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ponyville… it's been forever since she's been home. Nothing has changed; it looked completely the same. Well, mostly. The streets are barren. Which is odd cause this is the middle of the day. Normally, the streets should be filled. Now…  
"where is everyone?" Sweet Song wondered.  
Sym wondered that as well, then looked to see a noticeable note taped on the pole next to them. It said Starlight so it must be addressed to them. He walked over, grabbed it, and read it. "What's it say?" Woona asked.  
"says to come to Electronic Symphony, but it's not saying why."  
"with our luck, it's probably a surprise party." Glade chuckled. "Pinkie probably planned a 'welcome home' party for us all."  
Cotton and Eris Shine looked at each other and evilly snickered. "if that's true, we better hide our surprises."

The group walked to the night club and stopped just outside. They heard commotion inside the club, followed by shushing.  
"Yep. Party." Woona chuckled.  
Starlight shrugged. "better get it over with." she chuckled.  
They agreed and went in. as they predicated, the entire place was dark. Sym rolled his eyes and flipped the lights on.  
"SURPRISE!" their parents all cheered. Pinkie and Marble popped out of nowhere and blew into a couple of noisemakers. Celestia and Zilver did the same. "WELCOME HOME!" the rest cheered.  
Starlight smiled. "It's great to be home." she said. To tell the truth, she lied. She didn't like being home. She'd rather be with Bass.  
Twilight ran up and hugged her daughter. "it's so great to have you home! And safe from that Sombra character."  
"Yeah… funny you should mention him." Star chuckled. Glade turned back and nodded to his troops. They walked in and handed the jar to him. "Say hello to that little dastard." she said as Glade showed it to them.  
Everyone yelled at the sight of the deformed Sombra. "Holy Guacamole!" Spike exclaimed.  
Twilight cautiously walked over and tapped the glass. "is he alive?"  
Sombra opened his one eye, causing Twilight to jump back and yelp. "I'm still alive, you dumb mare!"  
"yeesh. Even in this, he acts like he's all tough." Soarin' grabbed the jar and shook it. "You're not tough anymore, short stack!"  
"un… how did… you defeat him?" Cadence asked.  
"a whole lot of luck." they all replied in unison.  
Celestia used her magic to grab the jar and pull it to her. "I remember you, Sombra. You caused a lot of trouble for us and you're gonna be put away for a long, long time. Shining Armor." she handed the jar to her. "as soon as we return to Canterlot, lock this charlatan in the dungeon."  
"yes ma'am."  
Dash flew over, got a good look at Sombra, and winced. "Damn." she turned her attention back to the group. "you guys said you had a surprise for me?"  
Eris Shine and Soarin' looked at each other and smiled. "a good one."  
Before Dash could ask what it was, a sudden weight hit her back. "Me!" Eris said with a smile, holding her head upside down in front of hers.  
Dash couldn't believe her eyes. This had to be a dream. "please tell me I'm not seeing things." She desperately asked.  
"nope." Fluttershy siad with a wide smile. "that's her."  
Rainbow Dash happily gasped, then flipped over, catching Eris in her hooves. "Eris!" she hugged the baby Draconequus tight. "I can't believe it's you!"  
"believe it." Eris said with a smile and wink. "I'm back and I'm here to stay!"  
Rainbow happily squealed and hugged her more, tears streaming down. "I'm never gonna let you go again!" Eris hugged her back.  
The party didn't even start and already, everyone was happy. The Mane 6 haven't seen Eris in ages and they're happy to see her. Celestia leaned towards her daughter. "how did she come back?" she asked Erys.  
"you don't want to know." she replied.  
Pinkie cheered and jumped onto a podium. "Let's get this party started!" she pulled the string on a party-popper, sending streamers flying.

Sombra, his entire body now composed of shadow and out of that jar, sat in a corner of his glass cell nestled deep in the dungeons. Cosmos has this wing commissioned for any baddies they come across that can sink into floors and slip out. Sombra was their first occupant. That Dark Unicorn had sunk into a slump when the youngest Captain of the Guard approached his cell.  
"not very cozy, is it?" Glade asked.  
Sombra gazed up at him then looked away. "go away."  
"gee. That's too bad. And here I brought a visitor for you."  
A visitor? For him? He glanced up to see a Yellow Pegasus with a Egg-White Mane. He recognized her instantly. "Tulip."  
"I was surprised when that mare said it was you." she reached into her saddle-bags and pulled out the picture Starlight had found. "we all thought you were dead."  
Sombra looked down at the picture and sighed. "That colt is dead. And he has been for these past 40 years."  
"Sombra… I'm sorry for what we did to you back then. Nobody should be treated that way."  
"too late to apologize."  
The mare, feeling defeated, glanced away and sighed. "I tried." she turned to leave. "just so you know… not everyone was afraid of you." she walked off, leaving the picture behind. Sombra looked down at it again and sighed in defeat.  
"Wait." he said. The mare stopped and looked back. "un… how… how is everyone?"  
The mare looked to Glade, smiled, then walked back to her old friend. "well, Malice went and got himself…" Glade watched them for a moment and left with a smile. A few years of this and maybe Sombra will change, maybe enough for him to be with Starlight again.  
If he changes.

Starlight looked out the window of her room to the sunset. It's been 2 weeks since she came back to Ponyville and… and she doesn't feel like she's home. Like she's whole. She looked down at the necklace Bass gave her and sighed. She misses him a lot.  
In those 2 weeks, everyone had fallen back to the same routine, like nothing had ever changed. she spent her first day back searching for that mare in the photo, that Tulip girl.  
She used her magic to summon the pocket-watch and she looked at it as well, trying to figure what to do.  
A knock came from her door, catching her off guard. "Come in, mom."  
Twilight opened the door and entered. "how did you know it was me?"  
"Lucky guess." Starlight walked to her bed and plopped down on it. She felt a slight pang in her gut when she did so. She's been getting those a lot lately.  
Twilight glanced at the watch. That was the same one Tsylatac used on her. 2 weeks later and she was still having trouble wrapping her head around Starlight's story, especially Sombra's plan. "how are you feeling?"  
"down." she sighed. She pulled out the necklace and looked at it with watery eyes.  
Twilight knew that look. She saw it a lot 20 years ago. Hell, she had that look with Halo. "You miss him, don't you?"  
Starlight sighed. "I find it hard to eat and difficult to sleep. It's funny. I've only known him for a few weeks and yet… I miss him like I lost someone really important to me."  
Twilight sighed as she sat down. "that's love for you." Starlight lightly nodded and sighed again. Twilight didn't like seeing her daughter suffer. "you know… when I was young, Celestia taught me that sometimes, I should just follow my heart. Cause it never lies."  
"and what did you do?"  
Twilight smiled, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. "I had you."  
Starlight lightly smiled then looked at the necklace. "so… you think I should follow mine?"  
"I'm not telling you what to do." Twilight got off of her bed. "I'm just giving you a option." she opened Starlight's door and headed out. "you coming?"  
"No, I… I feel like going to bed early. Been tired all day."  
"okay. See you in the morning."  
Twilight closed the door and headed downstairs. Starlight looked at the necklace, the pocket-watch, and the sunset. She closed her eyes and came to her final answer. She raised the hoof with the watch and…

Goldie woke up after a long night's sleep and yawned loudly. "what a dream…" she grumbled. She got up and headed for the bathroom, scratching her hind-quarters. She licked her lips as she neared it, giving them moisture, and reached the doorknob when she noticed that Starlight's door was slightly open.  
"Strange. She never had that open before." she head over to see what's happening.  
She opened the door and saw a shocking sight. "MOM!"  
It took her and Halo a few moments to get there. They arrived to see the sight. "Goldie, what's- oh."  
Starlight's room was completely barren. Her drawers and shelves were void of all her belongings. The window was wide open with pull marks leading to it. The only thing she left was her bed and bed sheets. She clearly didn't need those where she was going. On the ground was the remains of a pocket-watch. It was broken and busted up, unable to work anymore.  
"she's gone." Twilight gasped. Halo saw a note on the bed and grabbed it. Twilight leaned in to read it and Goldie hopped on the bed to get a look.

"Dear Mom, Dad, and Goldie…  
'Sorry for the abruptness of this but… but I had to do it. Mom told me I should follow my heart. Which I did.  
'I destroyed the watch, which served as the vessel of my powers over time. When it went, my powers over time went as well. I'm now a normal Alicorn. I never wanted those powers and I didn't want bad ponies coming after me because of it. They're gone for good. And as for my whereabouts… well…  
'I felt empty without him. I… I want to be with him and I'm going to be. Please, don't stop me. I love him and I can't be complete unless I'm with him. Mom told me she went though the same thing with you, Dad.  
'I'm gonna miss you. But I hope you'll come and visit Baltimare sometime. The 4 of us will be waiting…"

Twilight smiled as tears fell down her face. She wiped her eyes with a happy smile.  
"So… she's gone?" Goldie asked.  
"Yeah…" Halo said, putting the letter down. "gone, but not far. Or forever."  
"huh… but what did she mean by 'the 4 of us'?"  
Twilight sniffled and wiped her eyes again. She looked out the window to the north. "it means… that she's moving on… and for the better."

The mutated Oscurita roared as the Orion rammed into it. It fired it's main cannons into it's tough hide, causing it to roar in pain.  
The Dark Knight Tsylatac walked though the fields far from the battle, looking for something. He spotted it and went over to it. He reached it and shook his head. "it feels like it's been forever, hasn't it? Sombra?"  
The horribly mangled remains of Sombra, with just one eye and no mouth, stared at him with fire of anger in his eyes.  
When that blast of Starlight's hit him, it violently ripped him apart, sending half of him though the hole, while the other was found by them.  
Since he had no mouth, Sombra couldn't talk. Tsylatac chuckled and got up. "You were supposed to bring the girl with you. But you failed at that. And we can't change it. But… we still have some use for you. But with your body as is, you'll need a new one. Which I do believe we have…"  
Tsylatac disappeared in a flash of dark fire, taking Sombra's body with it.


	44. Credits

Begin Song: watch?v=cJhrTRs-Mn0 A Link To The Future - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep OST

0:00.  
Sparkles of light sprinkled down from above, shining like distant stars.

The Orion, a modified Man-Of-War ship with propellers instead of sails, flew into the lights, fading away as it did.

0:30.  
Soarin' flew as fast as he could, trying to beat racers to a finish line. One Pegasus caught up to him but he picked up speed and crossed it first. From the sidelines, his mother Rainbow Dash, his father Storm Shadow, and his sisters Eris and Eris Shine cheered. While still flapping his wings, he stood up and took a bow.  
'Soarin' would go on to be the youngest member to join the Wonderbolts, surpassing even Rainbow Dash when it came to speed. He later went on to become the youngest captain. Upon reaching his new stature, he asked Peppy to marry him. She said yes.'

Peppy bucked a apple tree, making it drop it's entire contents onto the ground. Applejack cheered at how strong her daughter had gotten. Zilver's Light cheered as well as he moved a wagon over. The wagon hit a rock and rolled down into a ravine. It hit a rock and turned into kindling. Applejack and Peppy both face-palmed as Zilver nervously chuckled.  
'Peppy would go on to open up a shop specifically for Hearth's Warming Eve, spreading her love and joy for it everywhere. She would open up shops in every city on the planet. In her downtime, she helped out her mother and father at the family farm. When Soarin' Cloud asked her to marry him, she instantly said yes. They currently live in Ponyville with their daughter, who they named Apple Pie.'

Electronic Symphony rocked the base at the night club, causing pounding pulses to echo though it.  
'Sym's unique take on the dub-step would become legendary in Ponyville and Canterlot, making his Mom Vinyl proud, but making his Mommy Octavia cover her ears when it got to loud. He and Golden Day had a quiet relationship, until they revealed it to their parents when she got pregnant 5 years later.'

Golden Day wiped her brow, having helped her mother Fluttershy, who had gotten big in her pregnancy, help a flock of geese who's wings were wounded reach a pond for them to rest. She sat down on a log and closed her eyes.  
'Golden Day would open up one of the most successful day-care centers in Ponyville, which also acted double as a orphanage for wayward colts and fillies. She and Sym had a secret relationship hidden from their parents until she got pregnant 5 years later. She married Sym not long after that. Their son, Golden Base, wants to grow up just like his pop.'

Pound and Pumpkin took a step back and looked at their new shop. It read 'Pound's and Pumpkins' tasty treats'. satisfied with the title, they both went in and went to work baking cakes, pies, cupcakes, and other yummy goodness's.  
'Pound revealed his secret feelings to Erys the same time she did, catching him completely off guard. His and Pumpkin's shop took off, overselling their parents and effectively buying them out. Which wasn't what they wanted. But they hired them and made them heads of the Ponyville branch. Pound married Erys 2 years later'  
'when their parents took over the shop, Pumpkin went off the open up a second shop in the Crystal Empire. There, she reunited with Eris Shine and the two began a relationship. They married 4 years later.'

Erys lazily sat back on a tree, reading a book. Having no more headaches was a blessing she was happy to be with.  
'Erys confessed her feelings to Pound the same time he did, which surprised her. The two of them married 2 years later. When the time came for her to take the throne and become a ruler on Equestria, she accepted with her husband Pound and their daughter Solus by her side.'

Woona made silly faces to a bunch of foals, who laughed at her performance. She laughed with them, falling to the ground, laughing her buns off.  
'Woona went on to become a ruler of Equestria with Erys, when their mothers decided it was time for a new perspective of rulers to lead. That didn't stop Woona from having fun, though. She would always go out and entertain the foals, making her a loveable princess. When she met up with Cotton 5 years later, the 2 hit it off and fell in love.'

Cotton put her own special mix of brownies into the over and hopped off to help her mom make some more.  
'Cotton and her parents went on to become the owners of the Canterlot branch of Pound's and Pumpkin's sweet shop. It wasn't as successful as the original shop but they're doing fine. She met up with Woona 5 years later and the 2 fell in love, seeing that they were as hyper as the other and they loved making kids laugh. Their own children would go on to be the same level of hyperness.'

Eris Shine flew though the building of the Crystal Empire, passing roses to everyone she met, who paid a bit in return.  
'upon graduation, Eris Shine moved to the Crystal Empire to sell flowers to the locals. Her flowershop became a instant success. She met up with Pumpkin 4 years later when she came to open the Crystal Empire branch of the sweet shop. They fell in love and married.'

Filigree slept soundly under a tree, reminiscing about the times she and her friends spent together.  
'Filigree would go on to become a singer, having been discovered by her Aunt Sweetie Belle, who heard her by accident. She would later become Sweetie Belle's protégée, becoming as famous as her. When Season found her 10 years later, he surprised her with a kiss.'

Season's Edge helped Carrot Top and Caramel toil the fields outside of town, a job he found tasking.  
'Season did nothing extraordinary with his life, mostly helping the local farmers raise the crops. During that time, his feelings for Filigree swelled to the point the couldn't contain it any longer. He set out to find her, which he did in Manehatten. He surprised her with a kiss. The two have been together ever since.'

Windancer bucked a cloud, causing it to spill it's water onto the farm belong, accidentally getting Season wet. He yelled up at her but she quickly took off before he could do anything stupid.  
'Following her Aunt Daring's footsteps, she left to help her in her archeology digs. When she retired, Windancer took on the business, much to Derpy's and eTu`nes dismay. When she arrived in Canterlot 5 years later, she surprised Marian with a beautiful broach, which she had in place of a ring for a engagement ring.'

Marian dazzled the crowd with spinning firework pinwheels and magic whips galore.  
'while she was Woona's sister, she wasn't technically a princess of Equestria. It didn't matter to her none. Marian's joy was making people smile so, following her mother's Trixie's footsteps, she went onto become a traveling showgirl. She had a long-distance relationship with Windancer, who was always gone on her digs. When they met back up in Canterlot, Windancer proposed, using a brooch instead of a ring. Marian didn't care. She said yes regardless.'

Sweet Song sang a beautiful song for the arrivals at Sym's night club.  
'while she wasn't as famous as Sweetie Belle or Filigree, Sweet Song was still well-known in Ponyville and Canterlot for her angelic voice. When she showed Chaos Gun to her mother's Lyra and Bonbon, they were… less then thrilled. But when they saw how happy she was with him, they gave in and gave them her blessings. The two married 3 years later.'

Chaos Gun flew though the skies above Ponyville, pulling aerial loops and other dazzling moves.  
'as he was a artificial pony, Chaos didn't know what to do in his downtime. He set out and got a job as part of the Canterlot guard and, though Glade's good graces, rose high in the ranks. He and Sweet Song married 3 years later and had 10 kids though 7 pregnancies. Inhuman libido, that's got to be it.'

Goldie groaned, hitting her head on her desk in school. Damn all this math; it's infuriating.  
'as the years rolled by, Goldie quickly became mature and also something of a role model for her younger brother Iris. Upon reaching adulthood, she, ironically, became one of Equestria's top scientists. She effectively found a to travel to the stars, but that wouldn't be realized for another 100 years. She married her High School sweetheart just out of High School and is the proud mother of a little filly who she named after her sister, Starlight.'

Fire Ruby jumped down from above, scaring a little field mouse. She fell over in laughter as Fluttershy and Mirror's Edge gave her a mean snare.  
'Fire Ruby would go on to become a veterinarian, trained under Fluttershy. Upon leaving High School, she moved to Manehatten 2 years later and opened up a vet. Not long after that, she met back up with Eris.'

Eris snapped her fingers, causing a piranha to appear in front of a squad of guards. As 'fearless' as they are, they turned and ran . Eris laughed and gave Goldie and Fire Ruby high-fives.  
'being the 2nd Draconequus in existence in this day and age, trying to find something that fits your lifestyle is… pretty tough. But Eris was able to find it by opening up a moderately successful joke shop in Manehatten. Not long after that, she met up with Fire Ruby, who had just moved there to open a vet. And, wouldn't you know it, Romance blossomed between them. And… let's just say the Draconequus' are slowly but surely coming back.'

Screw Loose sewed up a poor guard's wound which he got from tripping into a spear. She slipped up and hit a nerve, causing him to yell in pain, much to his embarrassment.  
'Screw Loose would become a successful medic in the royal guard, as well as opening up a small clinic in Canterlot. When Glade brought her to her parents Cadence and Armor, they gave them their blessing. The 2 married and now rule over the Crystal Empire.'

Glade walked down the red carpet in the Canterlot Palace. He reached the end and bowed to a stern Celestia and Luna. Celestia used her magic to pin a medal onto his chest armor, which surprised him. He thought he was going to get scolded for failing in his original mission of bringing Starlight home. Guess not.  
'Glade Yggdrasill later became the youngest general in Equestrian history, surpassing even his father Shining Armor. When Cadence stepped down from the Crystal Empire throne, Glade assumed the responsibility of ruling over the country, with Screw Loose as his bride and his old squad being the captains of the empires guard.'

'having officially retired from ruling the country, Celestia & Cosmos, Cadence & Armor, and Luna & Trixie are now sailing on a yacht in this worlds' version of the tropics, happily enjoying their golden years.  
'Fluttershy gave birth to a daughter named Rosemary and Twilight, a son named Iris. The two met in school and it was love at first sight. The 2 married out of high-school.  
'Having reached their twilight years, the Mane 6 could now sit back and relax on the beaches of Feather Top, wondering who the new Elements of Harmony were going to be upon their deaths.'

'having spent more then enough quality time with his old flame Tulip, Sombra's body completely reformed and, upon seeing that he has indeed changed, Glade released him. He moved back to his old village, where he lived the rest of his days in peace. Thankfully, everyone who was mean to him as a colt felt sorry for what they did and accepted him back. Guess Starlight was right after all.'

5:52.  
Bass sat under a tree in Baltimare, wondering what was happening in Ponyville and to Starlight right now.  
He missed her so much, it was heartbreaking.  
He didn't have to wonder long.  
The necklace he had given her landed on his stomach, waking him up from his nap. Wondering where it came from, he looked to see Starlight, now with a blank flank, standing not far from him with a smile.  
Bass smiled widely, got up, and ran over to her. He reached and hugged her tight. Starlight hugged him back, then broke it a few seconds later.  
She leaned in and whispered into his ear. He went wide-eyed by what she said. He asked if she was telling the truth and she nodded 'yes'.  
It took awhile for it to set in. once it did, Bass smiled wide yet again and hugged her again. He spun her around, laughing like a idiot. The two of them fell to the ground and lovingly looked into each other's eyes.  
They leaned in and kissed one another.

'Starlight and Bass grew old together, happy to be with one another. Starlight found Baltimare life more to her liking then the slow life back in Ponyville. Plus, every day brought a new adventure when your living with orphans in a bell tower, stealing to live. She would later become a writer. Her first book, 'journey to the past' which she based off her journey, was the world-wide best seller for a full year.  
'10 months later, 10 months after their exotic adventure together, Starlight and Bass became the proud parents to twins; a girl named Aurora, and a boy named Sombra.'

High in the skies above Equestria, in the middle of daytime, a ripple appeared in the sky. The ripple surged into one spot and opened wide into a pink, organic looking tunnel. Inside, one could make out the outline of a ship with propellers in place of sails.

7:03.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and it's characters are trademarked by Hasbro and Studio DHX.

The Requiem Trinity and it's characters are trademarked by ME!

Any OC's in this story belong to their original owners, whoever they might be.

7:31. End Song.

Begin Song: watch?v=ju-SAPrSerY We Are - Ice Age: Continental Drift Soundtrack

Starlight (Keke Palmer) slid into view and started singing.  
We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fam-fa-mily  
Bass Clef (Scott Weinger) skidded in from the right and joined as well.  
But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be  
A couple of foals came up between Starlight and Bass. The girl had a green coat with black hair while the boy had a lavender coat with the same color hair. Starlight used her magic to put Aurora on Bass' back and put Sombra's on her's.  
So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me  
Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) slid in from the left and began singing.  
We got every kind of love  
And we're so lucky indeed  
Requiem Hikaru (Rebecca Shoichet) came down from above and began singing as well.  
They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me  
Goldie (Mary-Kate Olsen from Full House) joined in as well.  
Cause we are, we are  
Family

Every member of the story following this point joins in on the singing.

We are, we are, we are, we are, we are, we are  
We are, we are  
Family  
Family  
We are, we are  
Family

Glade Yggdrasill: Crispin Freeman  
Screw Loose: Luci Christian  
Marian: Veronica Taylor  
Chaos Gun: Johnny Yong Bosch

So what we don't look,  
we don't act,  
we don't walk,  
we don't talk like you do

Soarin' Cloud: Scott Menville  
Sweet Song: Christina Ricci  
Eris Shine: Cathy Weseluck  
Filigree: Anna Cummer

So what if we hang just to hang  
Ain't no shame  
We both do want we want to

Fire Ruby: Ashley Olson (Full House)  
Electronic Symphony:  
Season's Edge: Adrian Petwir  
Golden Day: Lisa Ann Baley

Cause we come from everywhere  
Searching for ones to care

Woona: Rachel McFarland  
Pound: James Arnold Taylor  
Pumpkin: Kayzie Rogers

Somehow we found it here  
We found us a home

Cotton: Sarah NAtochenny  
Erys: Miranda Cosgrove  
Eris: Miranda Cosgrove

We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fam-fa-mily

Pinkie Pie: Andrea Libman  
Marble Cake: Seth Green  
Rarity: Tabitha St. Germain  
Spike: Jaleel White

But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be

Applejack: Ashleigh Ball  
Zilver's Light: Ricky Gervais  
Halo's Light: Simon Pegg  
Rainbow Dash: Ashleigh Ball  
Storm Shadow: George Lopez

So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me

Fluttershy: Andrea Libman  
Mirror's Edge: Sam Riegel  
Derpy Hooves: BaldDumboRat (know only Youtube name only)  
eTu`nes: Antony Del Rio

We got every kind of love  
And we're so lucky indeed

Aura Aesir: Johnny Yong Bosh  
Jacqueline 'Jax' Yggdrasill: Lisa Ortiz  
Sora Yggdrasill: Hayden Penntiere

They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me  
Cause we are, we are  
Family

Satoshi Tanaka: Haley Joel Osment  
Ashlin Geroma Arapaho Silverton(Ash): Steve Burton  
Bahamut: Russell Brand

Okay so the links in our chain  
May look strange but they make us stronger

La Luz De La Luna: Tabitha St. Germain  
Trixie Lulamoon: Kathleen Barr  
Celestia: Nicole Oliver

And no one can replace not a thing  
Mother or father cause weeeee

Mi Amore Cadenza: Britt McKillip  
Shining Armor: Andrew Francis  
Chrysalis: Kathleen Barr  
Cosmos: John de Lancie

We come from everywhere  
Searching for ones to care

Applebloom: Michelle Creber  
Scootaloo: Madeline Peters  
Sweetie Belle: Claire Corbett  
Dinky Hooves: Ariel Winter

Somehow we found it here  
We found us a home

Diamond Tiara: Chantal Strand  
Babs Seed: Brynna Drummond  
Silver Spoon: Shannon Chan-Kent

We are, we are  
Not your ordinary fam-fa-mily

Rumble: Jason Adkins  
Feather Weight: Tobey Maquire  
Pipsqueak: Steve Malpass

But we can all agree that  
We are, we are  
Close as close can be

Daring Do: Chiara Zanni  
Silverbolt: Matt Hill  
Leon: Doug Erholtz  
Friction: Mae Whitman

So it don't matter what it looks like  
We look perfect to me

Lyra Heartstrings: Heather Hogan  
Bonbon Heartstrings: Jennifer Hale  
Octavia Philharmonic: Keira Knightly  
Vinyl Scratch: Jolie Jackson

We got every kind of love  
And we're so lucky indeed  
They can keep on talking  
It don't matter to me  
Cause we are, we are  
Family

Family  
Yeaaah  
We are, we are  
We are, we are  
Family!

Tsylatac: ME! ( I sound like a cross between Yuri Lowenthal and A.V. Kennedy (Laguna from Dissidia 012)  
Catalyst: ME! ( I sound like a cross between Yuri Lowenthal and A.V. Kennedy (Laguna from Dissidia 012)  
Kyra: Ashleigh Ball

Orochi: Glacies : Liam O'brien  
Tenebrae : Paul St. Peter  
Lucis : Gerard Butler  
Aqua : Shanelle Grey  
Terra : Quinton Flynn  
Ventus/Aero : Greg Cipes  
Ignis : Lance Henriksen  
Fulmen : Ali Hillis

Sombra: 'Big' Jim Miller


	45. Epilogue

Electricity sparked into a tube, causing seizure inducing flashes. Orochi, Tsylatac, and Kyra watched as their newest inductee was created.  
"His body was horribly messed up…" Tsylatac said, relaying what he saw to his compatriots. "so… I figured this mechanical gryphon I found would serve as a perfect replacement."  
"considering it works." Kyra said. She pulled out the sword she stole from Manehatten and looked it over. "we already lost the staff."  
"Well, this body is nigh indestructible." Tenebrae said. "it'll work for him."  
The flashes stopped, causing the 3 of them to look to it. The tube opened and a Mehcanicl Gryphon fell out. Thing is, it was acting like it had a soul. Thing is, it does.  
"Welcome to our little group…" the Gryphon got up. His eyes glowed dark red as darkness seeped out of his body. "… Ambrose…"

'Lest Light and Shadow become one, conflict shall continue…'

Requiem watched a sunset on a cliff overlooking a gorgeous sea. The breeze brushed though her hair, causing it to wave…

'brothers against sisters, husbands against wives, family against family…'

Catalyst looked at the sunless sky from the top of the Afterworld Palace he found and saw a shooting star fly across.

'Lest Light and Shadow become one, war shall continue to rage…'

Light shimmered off of a pond full of water. Pillars of white marble rose up from the 2-inch water and up into the blue partly cloudy sky.  
A distant boom caused the water to ripple. The pillars cracked and fell, causing multitudes of splashes. The sky turned blood red as the clouds darkened.

Begin Song:  
watch?v=MlN3enzdDqk  
Final Trailer/Main Theme - Dissidia 012 Duodecim Final Fantasy OST

0:00.  
"The Divinity is on the verge of disintegration.  
The gods of all of Earth's religions- Christianity, Greek, Islam, and the rest- are dead at the hands of one insane madman.  
This insane demon is on the verge of ending everything and no one can stop him."

The divine sword, Nexus Ultimus, rested in it's pedestal. A hand reached down and picked it up.

"No one, except his sister, who doesn't want to embrace her destiny. Or even heard about it."

0:24.  
The titular silver-blue haired maiden Requiem stood on the edge of a cliff, eyes closed and embracing the breeze.  
She opened her eyes and looked up to the sky. She always felt comfortable with this.  
The sword Nexus Ultimus hung off her hip. The emerald/ruby hybrid jewel shone for a moment.  
Req reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pendant. She brushed dust off of it and looked it over.  
Requiem lightly chuckled and brushed the hair out of her face. She looked back up to the sky for a moment.

The airship Orion flew overhead and headed up towards the sun.  
the passengers; Requiem, Aura, Sora, Jax, Ash, Satoshi, Bahamut, Sapphyre, Gabriëlle, Uriel, Merrifield, Krouze, and Bauer, watched from the deck as the ship flew into a pink portal.  
the light from the star shone down, temporality blinding us.

1:00.  
Divine War Trilogy

The main bad guy, Catalyst, summoned his sword and thrust it up into the sky. Below him, hordes of monsters roared in accompaniment.

Requiem(Voice Over): "A Goddess? Me? Hehe. How-how-how can I be a Goddess? I'm just a barmaid."  
Requiem, Aura, and Bahamut ran as fast as they could away from a horde of Gargoyles, each one trying to turn them into mince meat.

Catalyst (voice over): "this is far from over, dear sister. I will not rest until you are dead and my plan comes to fruition."  
The devious cloaked Catalyst spread his arms. Fire rained down from above and struck the areas around Req and her friends.

A massive gargoyle karate chopped down on a bridge for a railway, causing the train the fall off into the crevice below. The good guys ran to the end and jumped off the caboose, for whatever good that did as they went off it themselves.  
A monstrous Leviathan rose up from the sea and roared. It slammed it's bulking body down on the man-o-war ship, causing it to split into two.

Catalyst (voice over): "If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended. That you have but slumber'd here."  
Catalyst moved his hood back, revealing his face. A very angry Aura, wielding both the demon part of the blade, Ultimus, and his lance, charged at him. The sword lit on fire and he swung it at the demon.  
Catalyst (continued): "While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding, but a dream."  
Requiem and Catalyst's blades met in mid-air, causing a shockwave that stopped rain from falling. Both looked into each other's eyes, not giving an inch.

1:36.  
Jax tossed her chakrams, hitting a Bael, a giant spider, in it's abdomen. The rings caught on fire, engulfing the monster in flames.

Sora slid down the back of a . The dino-demon swing it's tail, sending her flying. Sora flipped in mid-air, aimed her arrows, and fired them from her bow, hitting the monster in both eyes.

A giant eel zig-zagged it's way across a river towards a not-so-worried Ash. He input a combination onto the gems laced into his pistol handles, took aim, and fired a lightning bolt at the monster.

The main cannons of the Orion fired, hitting and destroying a unseen foe. The pilot, Satoshi, leaped over the side towards a horde of harpies. He pulled a gray brick out from behind. The brick morphed into a scythe. He spun it around his head then took a wide swing.

Bahamut shot out of a lake like a torpedo and hit a fellow dragon in the chest, knocking the wind out of it. He flew around the drake, lit himself on fire, then slammed into it's back.

Sapphyre roared as she surrounded herself with huge crystals. She flapped her wings forward, causing the crystals to pierce though hordes of monsters.

Aura slammed his lance right into the gullet of a Satyr. The lance lit on fire, incinerated the demon. Aura quickly ducked, spun around, and stabbed his weapon into the back of a Bonewalker.

Requiem lifted her sword above her head. Wind whipped around her as a glyph appeared beneath her. The girl opened her eyes and cast a powerful spell that eradicated monsters from Moscow to London.

2:00  
Internet Exclusive Crossover Series

Satoshi + Star Fox  
The Stars of Orion (Takes place during the events of Starfox Assault)

Aparoid Queen (Voice Over): "All for us. All things in the universe will be ours."  
Satoshi and Fox barrel-rolled their Arwings, dodging the attack launched by that giant and ugly bug.  
The Great Fox blew up, one of it's wings heading straight for Orion.  
Satoshi's brick turned into a rifle. He and Fox went back to back, pointing their weapons at the ugly-ass bugs.

Sora + Tales of Symphonia  
A Life Worth Living (Takes place after the events of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World)

Mithos Yggdrasill (voice over): "everyone would be happy if they were just lifeless beings, where there is no discrimination. That's the ideal world I have envisioned, just for my sister and me."  
Sora and Lloyd leaped into the air. Lloyd spun around and stabbed his swords into their opponents chest. Sora let loose a arrow that hit it in the middle of the forehead. Emil came in from behind and stabbed it in the back.  
Genis and Jax barely had enough time to run out a cave mouth of a exploding volcano.  
Sora drew her short sword and swung her blade at Mithos. He blocked it with his finger and gave a evil grin. A invisible shockwave sent her flying backwards.

Ash + Kingdom Hearts  
Hearts are Power (Takes place during the events of Kingdom Hearts II)

Xemnas (voice over): "So… it seems your hearts have lead you to obliteration. Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to ones heart. I will have to be sure and remember that."  
Ash, the KH Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood back to back, ready to do battle against a 1000 heartless. Donald, Goofy, and Ash gave KH Sora a thumbs up then ran into the fray.  
Xemnas thrust his arm forward. His powers tossed a entire skyscraper towards the crew. They quickly turned around and ran for the exit.  
KH Sora, Riku, and Ash faced off against Xemnas in a realm of nothingness. Xemnas pooled his powers and summoned a dome made entire of lasers around them all.

Aura + How To Train Your Dragon  
Day & Night (takes place in a alternate universe after the movie)

Hiccup (Voice Over): "This is… this is insane, you know that right? You're talking about going head on into enemy territory just to get your supposed daughter back? That's crazy!"  
Zak, a new character to this universe, jumped off the back of his dragon.. The blade of his sword split apart into 4 separate blades. He swung it down at his opponent, a female version of himself.  
A green streak of light zoomed though the air at the speed of sound, crashing into a blue streak.  
An explosion from a warship sent Hiccup, Toothless, and Aura rolling into the water where debris from it crashed down on them.

Bahamut + The Legend of Spyro  
The Dark Master's Return (Takes place after Dawn of the Dragon)

Bahamut (voice over): "you touch one scale of Sapphyre's head and I swear, I WILL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!"  
Spyro and Cynder rolled from behind a tree and slammed into the body of a massive Earth Golem.  
Malefor (Voice Over): "This world will face it's destruction and you along with it!"  
Bahamut coated himself in blue fire and slammed himself in the chest of the menacing purple dragon. Malefor just shrugged it off, grabbed Bahamut, and electrocuted him.

Requiem + The Slayers  
Judgment's Slave (Takes place during The Slayers: Evolution-R)

Shabranigdo (Voice Over): "for a long time, I have dreamt a endless dream, one of destruction and chaos."  
"DRAGON SLAVE!" Requiem and Lina fired massively powerful beams of energy towards a mountain-sized opponent. Both attacks hit, causing a massive explosion that covered the monster and 20 miles of land surrounding it.  
Shabranigdo (Continued): "Come! Let us walk the path of destruction together!"  
The giant red monster from before sent hordes of demons the good guys way. They quickly turned around and ran the other way, not wanting to get caught in the middle of this mess.

Jax + My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic  
Friends from Unexpected Places (Takes place after season 2 but gets rid of future seasons)

Orochi {Ignis Personality} (Voice Over): "Last I checked, you had a hand in this, you retarded mare. Who broke his heart? Who lead him on, thinking that you loved him back when, in truth, you didn't care diddly squat? Who's the idiot who taught him such a stupid feeling that can hold you back such as love? We will never be foolish enough to be straddled by something as useless as love."  
The large dragon Oscurita roared and spread his wings. He flapped them and was half-way up into the air.  
The capital city Canterlot fell under the might of Shadow Creatures which bled out of the giant monster.  
"ETU`NES, STOP!" Derpy cried out.  
Jax jumped down from above, a white electrical style blade in both his hands. "PERSONALITY SHIFT!" she swung down and struck the dragon in the head.  
A massive white light appeared, blinding us.

3:09.  
Sequel Trilogy.

A beaten and battered Orion sat on the side of a mountain, unable to fly.

Gabriëlle (voice over): "Whoever these people are, they're bad news. One thing I do know however…"  
A girl no more then 15, Lyra, cracked a wicked looking whip.  
A dark knight, Tsylatac, appeared beside her, wielding both a pole-ax and a wicked demon blade.  
A mechanical Gryphon, Ambrose, flew down and landed beside the knight. Darkness seeped out of this automaton like air out of… anything with air.  
A odd man with VERY weird hair and a bas case of multiple personality disorder, Orochi, walked out of the shadows. He snapped his fingers and transformed into a massvie 8-headed dragon.

Merrifield (Voice Over): "I've heard of these people, if you can call them that. Trust me, stay as far away from them as possible. You'll keep your life a lot longer that way."

Lyra wrapped her whip around Sora and tightened it. She leaned in close and whispered into her ear. "so… you're the whore who's been parading around with my brother?" she walked her fingers along Sora's shoulder and stopped at the top. "that is a grave mistake." Lyra forced her fingers into Sora's shoulder, causing her to scream.

Satoshi (Voice Over): "where are we?"  
A massive expanse of sand stretched out before them. In the sky, there was no sun and no clouds. Just a endless expand of space.  
Bahamut (voice over): "I think this is the Afterworld."

"I'm afraid that your time is running short." Tsylatac said. A dark portal opened up behind him. "As is the time for this pathetic realm." he turned and left a horribly injured Aura behind.

Orochi smiled evilly as he flexed his fingers on a switch. "This is going to be delicious." the Tenebrae personality said. He flipped the switch, causing a POWERFUL electrical current to surge though and cause untold pain to Jax.

"just 3 keys…" Ambrose held them up with dark magic and looked them over. "just need 2 more then the gate will open."

Catalyst swung his cape around in a epic fashion as Orochi angrily snarled.

Requiem (voice over): "you won't get away with this!"  
Req's blade connected with the knight's, causing a powerful shockwave to imminate between them.  
Tsylatac (voice over): "I'm afraid you have no say in the manner!"

Catalyst (voice over): "I told you that there were people worse then me."  
The temple located in the heart of Requiem's and Aura's hometown of Teria glowed and shot a beam up into the air.  
Catalyst (continued): "people more sadistic, more willing to do what they want to get what they want. And I commend them for that."

Lyra (voice over): "This day… it has been a long time coming."  
The Orion flew though space as fast as it could, leaving contrails far behind.  
Lyra (Continued): "and if these… idiots want to throw their lives away, so be it.  
The knight grabbed his broken helmet and lifted it off his head. "You!?" Aura exclaimed. "But… but you're supposed to be dead."  
Lyra (Continued): "It matters not to me if they live or die."  
Orochi glowed and quickly transformed into a giant 8-headed dragon. All 8 heads, each comprised of each of the elements, roared loudly.  
Lyra (continued): "as long as…"

Dragon Orochi fired 8 beams at the Orion, each comprised of a element. The beams spiraled into one and struck the Orion.  
The beam cut all the way though. The ship groaned as it struggled to split in two.

4:03.  
The divine blade, Nexus Ultimus, rested in it's pedestal.  
The camera angled to get the sun in the shot.  
A intense beam of yellow and orange light shot down from the star and struck the sword.

4:15  
Bahamut and Sapphyre rammed into Ambrose from both sides, trying to get him to crash. The Mechanical Gryphon just smirked, flipped around, and struck them both with dark shards.

The Orion shrieked as it flew though the air. The cannons angled and fired at Orochi's center head. It hit but didn't faze it. Orochi's heads fired beams at the ship but it was moving too fast for it to hit.

The T-Rex roared as it tried to bite Sora. She fell onto her back and stabbed her shortsword into it's chin. It roared and slammed it's head into the ground, trying to turn her into mush. She didn't and was now on top of it's head.

Ash spun around, fired his pistols, spun around again, and fired again. Lyra's whip caught his feet and tripped him over. The evil girl jumped up him and tried to stab him in the face with claws. He quickly rolled away, grabbed his pistols, and fired again.

Satoshi swung his scythe at the Scourge of Andromeda. He ducked then uppercut Satoshi right in the jaw. The pilot quickly recovered, his scythe morphed into a whip, and he swung it at the mercenary. It wrapped around his waist and pulled him to the ground.

Aura swung his lance at Adrian Sopa, a sadistic acquaintance of him and Req, and missed. Sopa smirked and swung his pole-ax at Aura. That missed. Aura's lance lit on fire, as did he. Sopa just playfully smirked and egged Aura on. Aura gave in and charged at him like a rocket. His lance and his pole-ax connected, creating a big boom.

Jax threw one of her Chakrams at the human Orochi. He ducked and summoned up a axe made out of fire. He charged and swung at her. Jax was too fast for him; she ducked, landed on the axe, caught the ring she threw, then flipped off, kicking him in the chin in the process. A glyph appeared beneath the young mage. One quick cast later and Jax sent her signature spell, the lightning spell Indignation, at him.

Requiem and Catalyst fought on a floating platform. Their blades connected, causing sparks to fly. Tsylatac jumped up from below and prepared to ram both of his weapons into her. Req sensed this. Her sword glowed and divided into two. The other one went into her free hand, which she used to black the knight's attack.  
Req spun around, sending the two of them falling off the platform. She summoned up wings and took to the air.

Requiem spun around twice then stopped in mid-air. A glyph appeared beneath her and she started casting a spell. Req raised her sword into the air. A beam extended out of it and into the clouds.

More glyphs appeared beside her but these weren't attack spells. No, these were transportation spells. Hundreds of angels flew out of them and towards the fray.  
Req opened her eyes and the glyph disappeared.  
She slowly swung her sword down towards the fight. A large blade of light, connected to Requiem's, cut though the clouds and down towards the fight, and the camera.

5:12.

The Requiem Trinity


End file.
